Bad News From Home
by kisshuismylife
Summary: Kisshu receives news that his mom died right before they form a truce. This is not a one-shot; but it probably won't be more than about three chapters, due to the 27-page first chapter. R&R please!
1. Bad News From Home

**Bad News from Home**

Kisshu was daydreaming in his room when Pai suddenly teleported in, causing him to look up sharply. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I just got some news from home," Pai said.

Kisshu was worried by his tone, and asked, "This isn't going to be good news, is it?"

"No," Pai said. "Mom called and said that Aunt Anzu died."

"How?" Kisshu whispered, his voice shaking.

"She got sick," Pai said. "And she was too weak to fight it off; apparently she had just given birth a few days before she got sick."

"Given birth?" Kisshu asked, stunned.

"Yes," Pai said. "You've got a little sister now."

"How's Dad?" Kisshu asked worriedly.

"Grieving," Pai said. "You know Aunt Anzu meant the world to him."

Kisshu buried his face in his hands, and broke down. Pai went over and hugged him.

It was nearly an hour before Kisshu calmed down, but when he did, he said softly, "Pai, go tell Ichigo we're speeding up the truce plan. I killed Treehugger yesterday."

"Alright," Pai said, and teleported out.

He landed in Ichigo's room, and found her reading something. She looked up, startled, and asked, "What happened?"

"Kisshu says we're speeding up the truce plan," Pai said. "The three of us need to get home. Did you still want to come with us?"

"Yes," Ichigo said. "Did something happen?"

"Kisshu's mom died," Pai said sadly. Ichigo looked horrified as Pai continued, "He's also got a new baby sister who's being taken care of by my parents, so we need to go home. Call the other Mews, and start packing."

"Got it," Ichigo said. She picked up a cell phone and said, "Go kill Blondie while I'm calling the others; I'll tell them to meet at the Café. Keiichiro's been on board for a while now."

"Understood," Pai said, and teleported out as Ichigo dialed Zakuro's number.

When the older girl picked up, Ichigo said, "Get Mint and meet me at the Café; we're speeding things up. Today's the day."

"_Got it," _Zakuro said, and hung up.

Ichigo immediately dialed Lettuce's number. When Lettuce picked up, Ichigo gave her the same message. Lettuce went to call Pudding as Ichigo got shoes on, and quickly packed her toiletries into an already-full suitcase. Closing it up, she left it on her bed, grabbed her purse, and ran out the door, headed to Café Mew Mew.

She got there about the same time as Mint and Zakuro, and soon after, Lettuce ran up with Pudding. They went up to the doors, just as they were opened by Keiichiro. "Pai's done," he said. "Come in."

The girls obeyed, and saw Pai standing in the main room. He nodded to them, and then asked, "Ichigo, are you packed?"

"Everything I need is in a suitcase on my bed," Ichigo said.

"Wait, you're going back with them?" Mint asked.

"Oh right, we didn't tell you that," Ichigo said. "Kisshu and I decided we didn't want to be separated, and since my parents abandoned me, we decided I would go back with him and live with his family after we formed a truce."

"Where is Kisshu?" Zakuro asked.

"Probably still in his room," Pai said. "I received word from my mom that his mom, my aunt, died. That's why we wanted to speed up the truce plan; we need to get back and be there for Kisshu's dad- and his new little sister."

"Please let him know we're all really sorry to hear that," Lettuce said. "Keiichiro, do you have the Mew Aqua?"

"Yes," Keiichiro said. He picked up a box on the table next to him, and handed it to Pai. "This is all we have, but I think it will be enough," he said.

Pai looked and said, "Yes, that's plenty. Thank you, Keiichiro."

"You're welcome," Keiichiro said. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Pai said. "Ichigo, let's go."

Ichigo went over, and he took her shoulder, and then teleported to Kisshu's room. Kisshu was sleeping, and Pai said softly, "I'll go get your suitcase; stay with Kisshu."

"Alright," Ichigo said, her voice equally quiet. She went over to the bed, and settled down next to Kisshu as Pai teleported out. He shifted a bit, and she gently rubbed his ears. He settled back down, and Ichigo started thinking about what had led to their alliance.

**~XXXX~**

About two months ago, Ichigo's parents had abandoned her; they left for a trip and one day called her and told her they weren't coming back. Unfortunately, they picked the day Aoyama broke up with her for some other girl to tell her their news, so she spent hours crying. By the next day, she was a mess, and decided to skip school. Kisshu had come halfway through the day, having noticed she wasn't in school, and found her crying. He didn't even ask what had happened; he simply hugged her and told her that no matter what, he'd always be there for her. It took her a while to calm down, but she finally calmed down enough to tell him what happened.

Upon finding out Aoyama had dumped Ichigo, Kisshu told her that he was Deep Blue's human host, and asked if she would be willing to form a truce with them if he killed Aoyama. Ichigo had agreed, but told him she had to talk to the other girls too.

Eventually they managed to get everyone except Ryou on board, and as time passed while they waited for a good time, Ichigo slowly started to fall for Kisshu. They started dating, and soon they were a couple. Lettuce and Pai had gotten together a little before them, and Pudding and Taruto had done the same.

**~XXXX~**

Ichigo looked up as Pai teleported in with Taruto and her suitcase. "Taruto will be my copilot; you and Kisshu can stay here," Pai said. Ichigo nodded, and Pai and Taruto teleported out again.

The noise caused Kisshu to stir a bit, and Ichigo asked softly, "Kish?"

Kisshu opened his eyes, looking up at her. "Koneko-chan?" he asked.

"I'm here," Ichigo said. "Pai and Taruto are going to fly the ship, so we can stay here, okay?"

"Okay," Kisshu said sadly.

"I'm really sorry about your mom, Kish," Ichigo said softly. "The others said to let you know that they're sorry to hear that too."

"Thanks…." Kisshu said sadly. He sat up, and looked at Ichigo. She pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly. He buried his face in her shoulder, and started crying again.

Ichigo held him until he started to calm down. The ship had already started moving, and as Ichigo gently pulled back, Kisshu asked, "We're on our way?"

"Yep," Ichigo said gently. "You look tired, do you want to go back to sleep?"

"Not really," Kisshu said sadly. "I don't know how I'm going to manage, knowing Mom's gone…."

"I'll help you and your dad get through this, and so will Pai and Taruto and their family, I'm sure of it," Ichigo said softly. "Were you close with your mom?"

"Yeah…." Kisshu said. "My dad is on the Council, so it was just her and me a lot of the time. Dad hated not having enough time to spend with me and Mom, though, and he would try various methods to escape going to Council meetings. He was pretty much forced into it, because his talent is heightened perception, like me. It's impossible to lie to him and get away with it; he always knows. Why do you think I never lied to you? I grew up knowing I'd get caught if I lied, so I never lie to anyone."

"Wow…" Ichigo said. "My parents were seriously gullible."

"Did you ever lie to them?" Kisshu asked.

"Not really," Ichigo said. "I was never really good at lying anyways. Of course, there was that time Moe and Miwa decided we should go out for ice cream, but our parents weren't having it, so we told them we were having a study group at the library. I'm so glad we didn't get caught."

Kisshu smiled slightly, then yawned. "Kish, you should get some sleep," Ichigo said. "Do you want me to sleep with you?"

"Yeah…" Kisshu said. Ichigo climbed under the covers with him, and they laid back. Kisshu fell asleep as Ichigo smoothed his hair back, and she wasn't far behind him.

_**Four hours later: **_Kisshu and Ichigo were both woken up by Pai shaking them, and they looked up at him. "We're here?" Kisshu asked.

"Yes, and the Council wants us, so I'd recommend getting up," Pai said.

Ichigo and Kisshu got up, and straightened their hair and clothes. "Ichigo, leave your stuff here, I'll get it later," Pai said.

"Alright," Ichigo said. Kisshu took her hand and teleported to a large circular room that Ichigo realized was underground.

The room was filled with Cyniclons, mainly middle-aged or elderly, and soon after Kisshu and Ichigo landed, Pai and Taruto teleported in. Kisshu walked to the center of the room, and went down on one knee, bowing his head. Ichigo copied him, as did Pai and Taruto.

A man with brown hair and brown eyes stood up and said, "Rise."

Kisshu, Ichigo, Pai, and Taruto obeyed, and the man came over, then asked, "How did it go?"

"The Mew Aqua is in this box, Hideki-sama," Pai said, opening a box that he had set down while they were kneeling.

Hideki-sama looked, and his eyes widened slightly. "You have this much?" he asked.

"Yes," Pai said. "It's certainly enough to heal Cyniclonia."

"Thank you," Hideki-sama said.

"You should be thanking Kisshu and Mew Ichigo; they convinced the rest of Ichigo's teammates to give us this," Pai said.

Hideki-sama smiled, and came over to Kisshu and Ichigo, who both bowed. They straightened as he said, "Thank you both; I'm very grateful to you for giving us the means to save our home."

"It was our pleasure," Ichigo said.

"May I ask why you decided to come with Kisshu?" Hideki-sama asked.

"Well, he and I are together, but it was also because my parents abandoned me, so I jumped at the chance of having a family," Ichigo said.

"That reminds me," Hideki-sama said. "Kisshu, I heard about your mother. I am truly sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, Hideki-sama," Kisshu said.

"Since I'm sure Pai can handle healing the planet, why don't you take Ichigo to your home?" Hideki-sama suggested. "I'm sure your father will want to meet her, and you haven't met your sister, have you?"

"No, I haven't," Kisshu said. "Is it okay for me to leave?"

"Yes, you should get home," Hideki-sama said. "Ichigo, welcome to Cyniclonia."

"Thank you, Hideki-sama," Ichigo said, bowing. Kisshu bowed as well, and teleported them to the front of a door.

"This is where we'll be living, at least until we can move to the surface," Kisshu said. He knocked, and a few minutes later, they heard footsteps. The door opened, revealing a tall Cyniclon man with black hair styled like Kisshu's, and sad golden eyes.

"Kisshu?" he asked.

"Hi Dad," Kisshu said. "I'm home."

Kisshu's father hugged Kisshu tightly. "I'm so glad you're back," he said softly. "I assume you heard about your mother?"

"Yeah," Kisshu said sadly. "I also heard I have a new sister."

"Yes," his dad said, letting him go. "Is this Ichigo?"

"Yes," Kisshu replied. "Ichigo, this is my dad, Higashi."

"It's nice to meet you," Ichigo said.

"You too Ichigo," Higashi said. "You can call me Uncle Higashi, since I heard from Hayako that I'm adopting you."

"Thanks Uncle Higashi," Ichigo said.

"Do you not have luggage?" Higashi asked.

"It's still on the ship; we were called to meet with the Council first, and it wasn't really appropriate to bring Ichigo's suitcase," Kisshu said. "I can go get it; I have to get my stuff anyways."

"Alright, I'll show Ichigo around," Higashi said. Kisshu nodded and teleported off. Higashi let Ichigo into the house, and closed the door as he said, "This is the main room; it's a two-bedroom, so I hope you don't mind sharing with Kisshu."

"I don't mind at all," Ichigo said. "What's your daughter's name, by the way?"

"We named her Tsukiko," Higashi said. "She's with my brother and his wife right now; I'm supposed to pick her up in about half an hour."

"Tsukiko is a pretty name," Ichigo said.

"Thanks," Higashi said. He sighed. "Anzu and I had a lot of trouble deciding on a name," he said softly. "Tsukiko is a very sweet baby, and she looks like me. Kisshu takes after Anzu, except for the fact he's got my eyes."

"What color eyes did Anzu have?" Ichigo asked.

"A really warm brown," Higashi said. "And they got warmer when she smiled- which was a lot. I'm really going to miss her…."

"I'm sorry," Ichigo said. "But you'll still have Kisshu and Tsukiko, and I'll be here too."

"Thanks," Higashi said. "How's Kisshu doing?"

"He's sad," Ichigo said. "He was crying for over half an hour after I got to the ship, and Pai said it took him over an hour to calm down after he told him the news. I guess we'll have to get through this together." She sighed, and said, "I would have liked to meet her, at least. I was kind of looking forward to having a mom."

"Are you an orphan?" Higashi asked.

"No, my parents just decided that they didn't really want to be parents anymore, and left me," Ichigo said sadly.

"I've never heard of that," Higashi said. "Well, you don't have to worry about me; parents on this planet stay with their kids no matter what, and keep in close contact even after their children move out. Bonds are stronger here."

"That sounds nice," Ichigo said, as Kisshu teleported back in carrying a bag and Ichigo's suitcase.

"Koneko-chan, what did you put in here?" Kisshu asked. "It's HEAVY!"

"Mainly clothes and books, but some of the books were a bit heavy," Ichigo said sheepishly. "I also packed my favorite stuffed animal and bathroom stuff. Sorry about that…."

"It's fine, I was just curious," Kisshu said. "I take it we're sharing?"

"Yup," Ichigo said. Kisshu perked up slightly, and took his bag and Ichigo's suitcase, then went down a hallway and went in the first door on the right. He came back out a minute later, and asked, "Dad, what's my sister's name?"

"Tsukiko," Higashi said. "She's my mirror image. And I forgot to mention you've got a new cousin too. Yuki gave birth a week before your mom, and she's got a little girl named Yuka now."

"That's great, she got her wish," Kisshu said. "And now maybe Taruto will have it easier."

"Yeah…." Higashi said. He sighed. "I envy Hayako," he said softly. "Yuki gave birth and is still alive."

"So Mom dying was because she gave birth?" Kisshu asked.

"Hayako's not sure; it's possible that she caught something and since her body hadn't quite recovered from having Tsukiko, she was too weak to fight it off," Higashi said. "A lot of people were in the hospital at the time; there's been a lot of sicknesses this year, though luckily nobody's had Toru Fever."

"Well, that's good news; the last time there was a case of Toru Fever, didn't it spread?" Kisshu asked.

"Yes," Higashi said. "I should go pick up your sister; do you and Ichigo want to come?"

"Sure," Ichigo said. "Kish?"

"Sure, I'll teleport you," Kisshu said. He took her hand and teleported to another door, then knocked as Higashi appeared behind them.

The door was opened by a woman who looked a lot like Taruto, and she said, "Oh, are you here to pick up Tsukiko?"

"Yes," Higashi said. "Oh, and this is Ichigo, Kisshu's girlfriend."

"It's nice to meet you, Ichigo," the woman said. "You can call me Aunt Yuki, okay?"

"Thanks Aunt Yuki," Ichigo said. "It's nice to meet you too."

Yuki smiled, and said, "Come in."

Kisshu, Ichigo, and Higashi followed her inside, and she closed the door, then called, "Hayako?"

"Coming," a man's voice called. Soon after, a man with purple hair and gold eyes came into the room, holding a small baby with curly black hair and golden eyes. "Hi Higashi, hi Kisshu," he said. "Kisshu, is this Ichigo?"

"Yes," Kisshu said. "Ichigo, this is my uncle, Hayako."

"It's nice to meet you," Ichigo said.

"You too, Ichigo," Hayako said. "You can call me Uncle Hayako."

"Thanks Uncle Hayako," Ichigo said.

Hayako smiled. Yuki looked closely at Ichigo, then said, "Your eyes…. look like Anzu's."

Kisshu, Higashi, and Hayako looked from her to Ichigo, who got nervous as they looked at her. "Is that bad?" she asked.

The others' uncomfortable looks were really all she needed. "If Pai turned me into a Cyniclon, would my eyes change color?" Ichigo asked.

Hayako looked thoughtful, and said, "Maybe…. when he gets back, let's ask."

Pai teleported in just as he said this, and asked, "What's going on?"

"If you turned Ichigo into a Cyniclon, would her eyes change color?" Hayako asked.

"Yes, but I'm not exactly sure what color," Pai said. "And her hair might change color too, but that's less likely."

"But they wouldn't be brown anymore, right?" Ichigo asked.

"No, they'd be some other color," Pai said. "Depending on whose DNA I use for the transformation serum, they could be any color. The two most likely possibilities are gold or orange, though."

"Why are your eyes navy blue, while everyone else in your family has orange or gold?" Ichigo asked.

"Beats me," Pai said. "I was just born this way. I think we'll all be better off if I use my DNA for the transformation serum; I think it'll speed up the rate at which you learn your new powers."

"Does that mean I'm going to get purple hair?" Ichigo asked.

"Not necessarily, but if you do, you can change the color with your powers," Pai said. "It's a variation on another spell that Kisshu created. Kisshu, would you like to demonstrate?"

Kisshu smirked and snapped his fingers. Pai suddenly had hot pink hair, and Ichigo, Taruto, and Yuki giggled. "What color is it?" Pai sighed.

"Hot pink," Ichigo giggled. "I wonder…. If you had cat ears, would you look like me?"

"I don't know and I don't want to find out," Pai said. "Kisshu, will you change my hair back now?"

"Can't you just tough it out till the spell wears off?" Kisshu asked. "I think it would cheer everyone up."

"I am not spending a week with hot pink hair, especially not when I've been ordered to meet with the Council tomorrow," Pai said.

Kisshu sighed and snapped his fingers again. Pai's hair was back to being purple. He sighed, and asked, "Ichigo, should we go back to the lab?"

"Sure," Ichigo said, looking at Kisshu. "Kisshu, why don't you stay with Uncle Higashi?" she suggested.

"You'll be okay?" Kisshu asked.

"I'll be fine," Ichigo replied.

"Okay," Kisshu said.

Pai took Ichigo's shoulder and teleported to his lab. When they landed, he said, "You can sit down in that chair over there; this will take a few minutes to get ready. So what brought this on?"

"My eyes," Ichigo said. "Apparently they look like Aunt Anzu's, so I suggested that if you turned me into a Cyniclon, my eye color would change as well. I don't want the others to be uncomfortable around me."

"That's kind of you," Pai said as he mixed what looked like blood into a vial of pale yellow liquid.

"I just don't want to hurt Kisshu any further," Ichigo said. "I know I hurt him a lot in the past, and I still feel guilty about that. I'm just glad I came to my senses before Aunt Anzu died; judging by how upset he is, I don't think he would have been able to handle my previous behavior on top of his mom dying."

"You're right," Pai said. "Kisshu's always been very emotional; it's hard for people to understand why we're best friends, since I'm almost his exact opposite. I just hope Aunt Anzu's death won't make him emotionally unstable, since that could be dangerous for both him and those around him. Luckily for us, my mom is a mind healer, so hopefully Kisshu and Uncle Higashi will pull through."

"I hope so too," Ichigo said softly. "I don't like seeing Kisshu sad."

Pai sighed and said, "I've got the serum ready. I should warn you, this might hurt."

"I'm sure I'll manage," Ichigo said.

"Alright, hold your arm out," Pai said. Ichigo obeyed, and he stuck a syringe into her vein, pushing the serum into her bloodstream. When it was gone, he took the syringe out, and put a bandage on her arm. Ichigo started to glow as he finished, and then she screamed as the light around her got brighter. Pai shielded his eyes as the light continued to get brighter, and Ichigo screamed again. Finally the light flashed, and faded. When it was gone, Pai opened his eyes, blinking. He saw that Ichigo was collapsed on the floor. Her hair hadn't changed from her human color, but it was a little darker and much longer, reaching the middle of her back. Her ribbons had fallen out, and were on the floor next to her. Her ears had changed to Cyniclon ears, and were a bit smaller than Kisshu's. Her skin was much paler, and Pai noticed she was thinner, too. He put a hand on her chest, and was relieved to find that she was just unconscious. It didn't feel like there was anything else wrong, so Pai gently tapped Ichigo's forehead. Ichigo slowly opened her eyes, which were now…. _Spring green!? Where did that come from? _Pai wondered. He returned his attention to Ichigo as she said, "You were right, that hurt. I think I'm fine now, though. Why do you look shocked?"

"Your eyes are spring green," Pai said. "I checked, you shouldn't have any problems with the transformation."

"Great!" Ichigo said. "My hair got longer….."

"Is that bad?" Pai asked.

"No, I always wanted long hair, but mine refused to grow out," Ichigo said. "Can we go show Kisshu and everyone else?"

"Sure," Pai said. He took Ichigo's shoulder, and teleported back to his house. Yuki and Hayako were still there, but Kisshu, Higashi and Tsukiko weren't. Hayako looked up, and looked startled. "I see it went well," he said. "I wasn't expecting green eyes, though."

"Is that rare?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes, actually," Hayako said. "And I don't think I've ever seen that particular shade of green."

"Maybe it's because I wasn't born a Cyniclon?" Ichigo suggested.

"Maybe," Hayako said. "Oh well, they're very pretty."

"Thanks," Ichigo said. "I like green."

"Your hair got longer too," Yuki commented. "And it's a bit darker."

"Yup," Ichigo said happily. "Did Kisshu and Uncle Higashi go home with Tsukiko?"

"Yes, so you should go show them," Hayako said. "Oh, and Pai, on your way back, will you pick Taruto up from the playground? He and Yusuke went there after Yusuke heard he was back."

"Alright," Pai said. "I'll be back."

Hayako nodded, and said, "Ichigo, it was nice to meet you, you should come again soon."

"Okay, thanks Uncle Hayako," Ichigo said. "Bye."

"Bye," Yuki said. Pai took Ichigo's shoulder and teleported to Higashi's front door, then knocked. Kisshu came and opened it a minute later, and his jaw dropped. "You're gorgeous," he told Ichigo.

Ichigo blushed and said, "Thank Pai for that."

Kisshu looked at Pai, who asked, "Will this help your fan girl problem?"

"Yep, none of them are even half as beautiful as Ichigo- and they're all annoying," Kisshu said. "Now that I've got a girlfriend, maybe they'll back off."

"If they're anything like fan girls on Earth, I wouldn't count on it," Ichigo said dryly. "My experience with fan girls is when they want someone, they'll do anything and everything to get that person, whether or not the person has a girlfriend already. Can I come in?"

"Oh right, sorry," Kisshu said, letting her in. "Pai, have fun with the Council tomorrow!"

"Thanks," Pai said sourly. "I have to go pick up Taruto, have a nice evening."

"Thanks Pai," Ichigo said. "And thanks for turning me into a Cyniclon."

"Sure," Pai said, and teleported off. Kisshu closed the front door, and said, "Dinner's in the oven, come on in."

Ichigo followed him in, and they saw Higashi reading something in the living room. He looked up, and said, "Wow, you look great Ichigo."

"Thanks Uncle Higashi," Ichigo said. "Uncle Hayako said he's never seen my eye color before though."

"Oh well, you'll be unique," Higashi said. "Nothing wrong with that."

Ichigo smiled and said, "You're right."

"By the way, normally when we adopt on this planet, the child we adopt takes their adoptive family's surname, is that okay?" Higashi asked.

"It's fine; Kisshu says I'd be Ikisatashi Ichigo sooner or later anyways," Ichigo said. "He's still sulking about having to wait till I'm eighteen to marry me, since I'm a year younger than him."

"I'm NOT sulking," Kisshu said sulkily.

"Yes you are," Ichigo said. "It's cute, though, so don't worry about it."

Kisshu perked up a bit, and said, "I'll go check on dinner. We're having cheese and bacon quiche."

Ichigo smiled and said, "Sounds great."

Kisshu smiled back and left to check on the quiche. Ichigo heard Higashi sigh, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's good you can make Kisshu smile," Higashi said. "He and Anzu were very close, closer than he and I were, due to the fact Hideki-sama and Koni-sama were constantly on my case about meetings. I despise being on the Council, and frankly the only reason I didn't just blow up and tell Hideki-sama straight out that I was sick of being on the Council was Anzu. She was always there to calm me down, and just knowing she was waiting for me really kept me going. The Council wanted Kisshu to be a politician too, but the one good thing I managed to do was persuade them to give it up. Anzu and I didn't want that life for Kisshu, and it seems that that was for the best; you two wouldn't have met if it wasn't for the fact I managed to get Kisshu enrolled in the military academy so early. Of course, part of that was that he had nearly blown up the elementary school a few times, but I knew Kisshu would hate being a politician."

"Why did the Council want Kisshu to be a politician?" Ichigo asked. "He never really explained that to me."

"Kisshu has the same talent I do; heightened perception," Higashi said. "He has it much stronger than I do, though, so he'd be ideal to take my place. There's no way I'm going to let the Council do that to him, though. Especially since Kisshu can't sit still for more than about five minutes."

"If you weren't on the Council, what would you rather do?" Ichigo asked, curious.

"I'm trained to heal, like my brother Hayako," Higashi said. "I'd like to be a healer, and help people that way. Frankly, being on the Council is a waste of my time; all they do is argue, and I'm sitting there bored out of my mind until someone asks me if the guy he's talking to is lying. I'm the youngest member of the Council, so they all think it's fine to push me around. Hideki-sama is the only one who's reasonably sane, in my opinion. At least they're letting me have some time off after Anzu died."

Suddenly there was a knock on the front door, and Higashi sighed. "Ichigo, do you mind getting that?" he asked.

"Sure," Ichigo said, and went to open the front door. She found Hideki-sama standing outside, and he looked startled as she bowed. "Ichigo?" he asked.

"Yes," Ichigo said. "I asked Pai to turn me into a Cyniclon. Would you like to come in?"

"Yes, I'd like to talk to Higashi," Hideki-sama said. Ichigo let him in as Higashi came out of the living room.

Higashi bowed as he asked, "I assume someone heard the conversation Ichigo and I were having?"

"Koni was eavesdropping," Hideki-sama said somewhat disgustedly. "I honestly don't know what his problem is, but I'm glad to hear that you don't think I'm insane too."

"I would think Koni-sama would consider eavesdropping beneath him," Higashi said.

"One would think," Hideki-sama said. "I am interested to hear that you hate being on the Council and didn't tell anyone about it."

"Aside from you, everyone on there would agree to lock me up for disrespect," Higashi said. "And after sixteen years, anything I had to say about them would probably be considered blasphemy."

"I don't think that lot would be able to agree on anything, much less what to do if you told them what you really felt," Hideki-sama said dryly. "I must admit there have been times I've considered disbanding them- but then I remember they'll assume I want to be a dictator, and I go back to listening to their bickering. How bad does it get when I'm not there?"

"BAD," Higashi said. "And the only time they so much as look at me is when one of them thinks the other is lying. Remind me again whose idea it was to put me on there?"

"Koni's, unfortunately," Hideki-sama sighed. "No offense, but I personally thought that you were a bit young for the job, but they didn't listen to that concern, and forced me into putting you on the Council."

"I AM too young to be wasting my life listening to a bunch of old geezers bickering about heaven knows what," Higashi grumbled. "It's all I can do to keep from falling asleep these days. I am SO grateful you let me have time off. Otherwise, I'd have taken a leaf from Kisshu's book and started pranking them."

"That would certainly liven things up," Hideki-sama said noncommittally. "But if you resign, what will you do?"

"Take up healing, like Hayako," Higashi said. "I'm trained to heal, but then Koni-sama apparently found out about my talent, and decided to make me the youngest member of the Council since we left Earth. I think he enjoys making me miserable…."

"Must run in the family; wasn't his grandson Kino expelled from the military academy for attempting to get Kisshu to leave?" Hideki-sama asked.

"Yep," Higashi said. "Luckily his father wasn't such a bad apple, but Kino was the spawn of the Devil."

"Sometimes they just turn out bad," Hideki-sama sighed. "So you'd rather take up healing?"

"Yes," Higashi replied.

"I think we might be able to make that work," Hideki-sama said thoughtfully. "I did just put Koni on probation for eavesdropping on you, so there's not much he can do about it if I say I'm going to put you on the hospital staff instead."

"That would be great," Higashi said with relief. "Before I resign, can I put a whoopee cushion on Koni-sama's chair?"

"That would be kind of fun to watch…." Hideki-sama said. "I suppose it's fine, especially since he was eavesdropping on you. Are you bringing Kisshu and Ichigo to watch?"

"Is that okay?" Higashi asked.

"Yes, the Council should know that Ichigo's a Cyniclon, and I know they want to talk about restoring the planet with both of them and Pai," Hideki-sama said. "Don't worry, I won't let them force Kisshu into anything politics-related."

"Thank you," Higashi said, bowing.

Suddenly Kisshu came into the room, and bowed, then said, "Dinner's ready, and there's enough for all of us, if you want to stay too, Hideki-sama."

"If you don't mind, I've heard you've become an accomplished chef," Hideki-sama said.

"I don't mind," Kisshu said. "I hear you're giving Dad his greatest wish, thank you."

"You're welcome," Hideki-sama said.

Kisshu smiled and said, "Come eat, the quiche should be cool enough to cut, at least."

Ichigo, Higashi, and Hideki-sama followed him back to the kitchen and sat down as Kisshu cut the quiche and brought some to the table. Kisshu sat down after serving everyone, and said, "I hope you like it."

"I like everything you make," Ichigo said.

Kisshu smiled as he said, "So Dad, I hear you need one of my whoopee cushions."

"Yup, I can't wait to see the look on Koni-sama's face," Higashi said as he started eating.

"And to think you complained about me…." Kisshu said.

"Well, you did nearly blow up the school- five times," Higashi said.

"Mmph," Kisshu said. "How was I supposed to know lighting bottled flour on fire would create an explosion?"

"What grade was that again?" Hideki-sama asked.

"Second," Kisshu said. "I like blowing things up. While I was on Earth, I discovered dynamite, and blew up Pai's stuffed animal collection. Boy was that fun, all the stuffing and little body parts flying everywhere!"

Higashi and Hideki-sama both snorted as Ichigo started giggling. "That was the time Pai nearly killed you, right?" Ichigo asked.

"No, that was the time he banished me to your place for two weeks," Kisshu said. "The time he nearly strangled me was when I painted his room bubblegum pink, and left a herd of pink papier-mâché ponies in there. He spent HOURS screaming about pink doom, and then found out it was me, and tried to strangle me. As usual, he didn't succeed."

"Pai is afraid of pink?" Hideki-sama asked.

"Yup," Kisshu said. "It started after he found me sleeping in Ichigo's tree, and he looked in her room, which is solid pink, freaked out, and now he's afraid of pink. I don't mind pink, since Ichigo loves it, but Pai apparently can't handle it. And now he and Taruto are BOTH afraid of pink ponies."

"'Pink ponies'?" Higashi asked. "I didn't think those existed except in children's books."

"They don't, but I guess Pai and Taruto think they're the signal of the end of the universe," Kisshu said. "Those two are insane…."

"I thought Pai laughing was the end of the universe," Ichigo commented. "Or was that the time he was humming?"

"That was the time he was humming, and Taruto got so freaked out he started screaming about the end of the universe," Kisshu said. "Unfortunately for you, you just happened to be on the ship, and we had to go back to your place, because Taruto turned out to be a stress eater and went on sugar high. Oh well, at least I didn't have to deal with that, since I was with you."

"Sugar high?" Hideki-sama asked. "Why was Taruto eating sugar in the first place?"

"His girlfriend, my teammate Pudding, is obsessed with candy and anything else sugary," Ichigo said. "Sugar doesn't have the same effect on humans as it does on Cyniclons. But Pudding didn't know that, and she accidentally turned Taruto into a sugar addict. We're hoping Aunt Yuki can do something about that; every time he was on sugar high, he would be screaming about 'fanged snowflakes' and 'giant poisonous gummy bears'. Scary. At least we figured out the cure for that."

"There's a cure for sugar?" Higashi asked, interested.

"Yes, it's grapefruit juice," Ichigo said. "Pudding discovered it by accident, and it works like a charm- but the person who it's used on won't remember anything from when they were on sugar high for some reason. At least it calms them down- which is good, because one time Taruto decided he was going to dump three cups of pure sugar into Kisshu's soda, and since it was sweet already, Kisshu didn't notice. And if he hadn't decided to come to my place and glomp me, he probably would have been on serious sugar high for a week, according to Pai."

"Three cups of pure sugar!?" Hideki-sama asked incredulously. "That would be more like a month on sugar high, especially if what Kisshu was drinking was already sugary."

"I am SO glad I kept grapefruit juice on hand," Ichigo sighed. "If it wasn't for my friend Lettuce, who was over that day, I don't think I could have gotten Kisshu off of me long enough to get the grapefruit juice. Pudding and I kept it on hand all the time after she discovered its abilities, since we're the only two Mews whose houses Kisshu and Taruto knew how to find. We didn't really worry about Pai going on sugar high, so Lettuce didn't keep it on hand."

"Wow…" Higashi said. "So Pai has a girlfriend on Earth too?"

"Yup," Ichigo said. "So Uncle Higashi, how are you planning to get a whoopee cushion on Koni-sama's chair unnoticed?"

"I guess I'll have to get to the Council room early," Higashi said. "What time is the meeting?"

"Ten AM," Hideki-sama replied. "I think if you three get there at 9:30, you'll be good to go. Some of the members like to get there early, but not that early."

"Alright," Higashi said. "Thank you, Hideki-sama."

Hideki-sama smiled and said, "You're welcome. I should go before Koni decides to come looking for me- or sends Kia."

"Who's Kia?" Ichigo asked.

"Kia is the Council's messenger," Higashi said. "She's sweet, but she's also very persistent. At least she's not into nagging, though. If I say to her that I don't care if Koni-sama's coming, she'll give me this look like I'm crazy, sigh, and teleport off, muttering under her breath."

Ichigo giggled, and Kisshu sighed. "The few times she's come to get ME, she gives me a lecture on the way there," he said. "Jeez, all I did was ask Yumemi-sama why she had spots on her face."

"And how old were you?" Hideki-sama asked.

"Six, I got called in because of the lizard incident, where that lizard I let out somehow managed to land my teacher in the hospital with a bunch of bite marks," Kisshu said. "I don't really know why she kept it in a cage like that, but it's not my fault it hated her. Anyways, I asked Yumemi-sama why she had spots on her face, and she turned this really interesting shade of purple, and two of the Council members had to stop her from mutilating me, because apparently she's a bit touchy about her liver spots. Jeez, what else do you expect from a curious six-year-old?"

Higashi, Ichigo, and Hideki-sama were all laughing too hard to respond. Kisshu snickered, but that faded when they heard a knock on the door, and he got up to get it. The others attempted to calm down as they heard him say, "Hi Yumemi-sama, what can I do for you?"

"You can tell me where Hideki-sama went, and preferably without the comments I heard the last time we spoke," a stern female voice said.

So much for calming down. The three in the kitchen all burst out laughing again as Kisshu said, "He's in the kitchen, we just finished dinner."

"And what's with the insane laughter?" Yumemi-sama asked.

"I was telling everyone about that time when I was six, and I asked a question that you decided warranted mutilation," Kisshu said brightly. "Was Hideki-sama not there for that incident? Because Dad and Ichigo aren't the only ones laughing too hard to speak."

"No, he was not there, and now I'm never going to hear the end of this," Yumemi-sama said wearily. "Are all children this insolent?"

"No, it's just me and Taruto," Kisshu said.

"I'd like to see what happens when YOU get liver spots," Yumemi-sama grumbled.

"That won't happen," Kisshu said. "Dad's family has a gene that cancels out liver spots- at least for men."

Hearing more laughter from the kitchen, Yumemi-sama sighed and said, "Kisshu, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from corrupting Hideki-sama further."

"With all due respect to both of you, I didn't corrupt him," Kisshu said. "Hideki-sama just has a good sense of humor. And for the record, I was six years old when that happened. Do you really think I'm still like that?"

"I'll believe it when I see it," Yumemi-sama said grouchily. She and Kisshu both looked up when Hideki-sama came in with Higashi and Ichigo, and said, "Thank you, Kisshu, I haven't laughed like that in a long time."

"You're welcome," Kisshu said, grinning as he bowed. "I think Yumemi-sama wants you back now, though."

Yumemi-sama glared at Kisshu as Hideki-sama said, "Well, thank you all for dinner, and I'll see you tomorrow at the meeting."

"We'll be there," Higashi said as he and Ichigo bowed. Hideki-sama and Yumemi-sama teleported out, and Kisshu said, "Well, that went well. I'm tired, I think I'll go to bed soon. Koneko-chan?"

"I'll do the same, since we're getting up early," Ichigo said.

"Now that you're a Cyniclon, you shouldn't need more than seven hours of sleep, unless you're sick," Kisshu commented. "Though after today, I'm not sure that will apply, since you just got turned into a Cyniclon."

"We'll have to see," Ichigo said.

"You two head on off to bed, I'll see you in the morning," Higashi said. "I have to check on Tsukiko, too."

"Okay," Kisshu said. Ichigo hugged Higashi and said, "Goodnight Uncle Higashi."

"Goodnight," Higashi said, hugging back. Kisshu came over and hugged them too. When they broke apart, he and Ichigo went to get ready for bed.

_**The next morning: **_Ichigo woke up feeling rested, and looked at Kisshu's clock. She was shocked to see that it was only six AM, but she got up anyways. Kisshu was stirring too, and he opened his eyes to see Ichigo looking down at him. "How long have you been up?" he asked.

"Two minutes," Ichigo said. "I guess you're right about how much sleep I need; I feel fine."

"Good," Kisshu said. "Would you like me to show you how the shower works?"

"Sure, thanks," Ichigo said. "Let me just get some clothes."

"Nice clothes, we are going to meet with the Council," Kisshu said.

"'Kay," Ichigo said. She went to her suitcase, which hadn't been unpacked much yesterday, and took out a white blouse with full sleeves, and a black knee-length skirt with little white flowers embroidered on the hem. She also picked out black tights and a pair of black ankle boots that she had brought. Picking out a white ribbon, she got some deodorant and a comb, then followed Kisshu to the bathroom. Setting the clothes on the counter, she watched as he showed her how to turn on the shower, which was actually pretty similar to the one she had had on Earth, except the faucets were reversed and the shower came on as soon as you turned one on, instead of water coming out of the faucets. Kisshu left after showing her how to use it, and she stepped into the shower after getting undressed. It was nice and warm, and she sighed happily. Washing her hair was a bit hard, since it was about twice as long as it had been, but she managed it, and stepped out after turning the water off, picking up the towel Kisshu had left her, and drying off. Her hair was hard to dry, and she was starting to wish she had brought a hair dryer. She finally gave up trying to get it any dryer, and put her clothes on, then started combing her hair. It took a long time, but she finally got it dry and started braiding it, then tied the braid off with the white ribbon. She had braided it over her left shoulder, and she looked at herself in the mirror. She was a bit stunned by how she looked; her hair was definitely darker, and it went nicely with her now spring green eyes. The white ribbon added a nice touch, and she noticed her ears were about Kisshu's size; just a bit smaller. Remembering that Kisshu was probably waiting, she left the bathroom and went back to their room.

"Did you have a nice shower?" Kisshu asked when she came in. "You were in there a while."

"Yeah, sorry about that, I was having trouble with my hair," Ichigo said. "It's much longer than I'm used to."

"It's fine," Kisshu said. "You look amazing. I'm going to go wake up Dad, and then take a shower. Dad's not a morning person."

Ichigo giggled as Kisshu left, and decided to start unpacking while she waited for Kisshu.

About twenty minutes later, Kisshu was back, with his hair in its usual style, but he was wearing a nice button-down shirt, which was such a dark green it was almost black. He was also wearing black pants tucked into his usual boots. "You look amazing too," Ichigo told him.

"Thanks," Kisshu said, smirking. "I think there's some cereal for breakfast, is that okay?"

"Sure, what kind?" Ichigo asked.

"Honey Bunches of Oats," Kisshu said. "I brought a lot back, because that's my favorite."

"I like that a lot too," Ichigo said. She heard the shower turn on, and asked, "So you got Uncle Higashi up?"

"Yup," Kisshu said. "We're taking Tsukiko to Aunt Yuki's after breakfast, and then going to set up Dad's prank idea."

"Great," Ichigo said. "This should be fun!"

Kisshu just smirked and led the way to the kitchen.

They sat down with their cereal, and were starting to eat when Higashi came in. "What's that you're eating?" he asked.

"Cereal, it's a human breakfast food," Kisshu said. "There's some in the box if you want some, but if not there's bread too, and there's butter and jam in the fridge."

"I'll try the cereal, but what's jam?" Higashi asked.

"It's cooked fruit with sugar added," Kisshu said. "Not to the point where the sugar would affect us, though."

"Interesting," Higashi said as he got himself some cereal. He tried some, and said, "This is really good. I guess humans have more food ideas that we do."

"Yeah, and I brought back a lot of cookbooks that I stole, as well as a bunch of recipes I copied from Keiichiro's cookbooks," Kisshu said. "There's also a bunch of non-perishable food like pasta on the ship still. We brought a lot of food back. Actually, we practically cleaned out a few aisles in one of the grocery stores, since they have so much food on Earth. They have whole stores with only food. And they're BIG stores, too."

"Sounds like heaven," Higashi sighed.

"That's the only part of Earth that I thought was heaven," Kisshu said. "The humans- aside from Ichigo and her friends- aren't really very nice, even to each other, and it's way too polluted. They've got some cool inventions for getting places, and other inventions for different parts of life, but they're not really a very nice species. Some of them seem nice, but that seems to be a minority. Ichigo's school friends seemed nice, though."

"Yeah, I wish I could have said goodbye, but their parents had them both under house arrest for getting suspended again," Ichigo said. "When they get off suspension and house arrest, I told Lettuce to tell them what happened."

"How'd they get suspended?" Higashi asked as they finished breakfast.

"They're very overprotective, and when someone hurts me, emotionally or physically, they go berserk and beat that person up," Ichigo sighed. "This time they beat up this girl who told me I was a slut."

"If I ever hear that from someone, that someone will DIE," Kisshu growled.

"That's going a bit far, Kisshu," Higashi said. "At least TRY not to get sent to prison."

"Fine," Kisshu said. "Are we going to take Tsukiko to Aunt Yuki's now?"

"Yes, and we're supposed to pick up Pai too," Higashi said. "Let's find a whoopee cushion and go."

Kisshu smirked and went to his and Ichigo's room, then returned with a fully blown-up whoopee cushion. "I'll take Ichigo and this, you take Tsukiko," he told Higashi.

"Alright," Higashi said. He went and got Tsukiko, then came back. Tsukiko was waking up, and she made a soft mewing sound. "Morning Tsukiko," Ichigo said.

Tsukiko turned her head a bit and smiled. Higashi and Kisshu smiled too, as did Ichigo. "She's adorable," Ichigo said.

"Yes, she is," Higashi agreed. "Let's get going." He teleported, followed by Kisshu with Ichigo.

They landed in front of Hayako and Yuki's front door, and Ichigo knocked. Pai opened the door, and said, "Come in, Mom said you'd be here soon." He was also dressed up, in the same style as Kisshu, but his shirt was dark purple, and he was wearing his usual shoes rather than boots or dress shoes.

Yuki came out of the kitchen, and said, "You all look very nice. I take it you're going to the Council room?"

"Yup," Kisshu said. He and Higashi both had identical smirks, and Yuki said, "I don't want to know why you're smirking like that, so I'll take Tsukiko to play with Yuka. They seem to really like each other."

"That's good, since they're cousins," Kisshu said. "Come on, Pai, let's get going."

Pai sighed and followed Kisshu as he teleported out with Ichigo. Higashi followed after saying goodbye to Tsukiko.

They landed in the empty Council room a minute later, and Higashi walked over to one seat in particular, and set the whoopee cushion down on it. Then he made a hand sign, and the whoopee cushion vanished. Ichigo looked at Kisshu, who said, "Dad can make things invisible."

"I assume there's some reason behind this?" Pai asked.

"Hideki-sama said it was fine," Higashi said, coming back over. "Don't blow our cover, got it?"

"Fine…." Pai sighed.

A while later, members of the Council started to file in, all of them remaining standing. One woman came up to Higashi and asked, "I assume there's a reason you're here early?"

"We wanted to show Ichigo around, since she was only here briefly yesterday," Higashi said. "Where's Hideki-sama and Koni-sama?"

"On their way, I assume," the woman said. "Try to be a bit more patient."

"Mmph," Higashi said as the woman left.

Hideki-sama and Koni-sama came in soon after, and then all the Council members went to their assigned seats. Koni-sama was sitting right in the front row of seats as all the members started to quiet down, and Higashi, Kisshu, Ichigo, and Pai went to the center of the room and went down on one knee, trying to hide their smirks. When everyone was quiet, Hideki-sama and the others sat down- and a loud farting noise came from Koni-sama's direction. Higashi undid the invisibility spell as Koni-sama jumped up and Hideki-sama started snickering. Ichigo, Kisshu, and Higashi were snickering too as Koni-sama screeched, "Who put a whoopee cushion on my chair!?"

Higashi and Kisshu both burst out laughing at the same time, and Koni-sama glared at them. "Explanation. NOW," he said.

Noticing that Higashi was having trouble talking, Hideki-sama snickered and said, "I said Higashi could do it in revenge for your little eavesdropping trick last night. That was quite fun. And frankly, if you hadn't forced him onto the Council sixteen years ago, this wouldn't have happened. He turned to face the Council and said, "I would like to announce that I am freeing Ikisatashi Higashi from his position on the Council."

This caused a general outcry of "WHAT!?" and "We need his talent!"

Hideki-sama waited till they were quiet, and then said, "You don't NEED his talent, and since he'd much rather be working as a healer, which is what he was originally trained for, I've decided that if the Council continues forcing Higashi into being a member, I'll let him prank however many members he wants, without limit. And with Kisshu as his son, I'm sure you can imagine that's going to make your lives hell."

There was a collective groan, and then Yumemi-sama, who was sitting in the second row, asked, "Are you sure they didn't corrupt you?"

"Forgetting something?" Hideki-sama asked. "Before Kisshu came along, _I _was the one topping the charts for pranks. I should really commend Kisshu; he broke both my records."

"Which were…." one of the men on the Council said.

"I nearly blew up the school three times, and Kisshu doubled that, and I only dumped slime on the principal; I didn't redecorate the teachers' lounge with slime," Hideki-sama said. "Not to mention the time Kisshu came up with a variation on the spell that lets us put someone in different clothes. I never would have thought of using that spell on someone's hair."

"I seem to recall that Kisshu used that on the principal, and she had spiked neon yellow hair for a week before Kisshu figured out how to take the spell off," Yumemi-sama commented. "I don't agree that Kisshu should be commended for pranking not only the school, but half of our entire population, however. I don't think, due to the evil grin on his face, that he needs further encouragement."

"Very well, I suppose you'll just have to live with my admiration, Kisshu," Hideki-sama said.

"That's more than enough, sir," Kisshu said, bowing. Then he straightened up, and said, "I have a message for the Council."

"Do we want to hear it?" Yumemi-sama asked warily.

"If _I _get forced into politics, I'll start pranking the Council rather than my teachers," Kisshu said. "And I have lots of better pranks than invisible whoopee cushions."

"Thanks," Higashi said sourly.

"Sorry Dad," Kisshu said sheepishly. Then he looked back at the Council, and asked, "So you're not going to put me on the Council, right?"

There was a collective shudder as Koni-sama said, "HELL no. I shudder to think what's going to happen if that were to occur."

"Well, for starters, Yumemi-sama would be hallucinating about liver spots that come alive….." Kisshu said.

"Why ME?" Yumemi-sama moaned.

"You tried to mutilate me when I was six," Kisshu said. "And Koni-sama would-"

"Alright, I think they get the idea," Hideki-sama said, cutting Kisshu off. The Council members were looking at Kisshu like he was going to eat them. Hideki-sama sighed and said, "Now that the Ikisatashis are free from politics, we have other matters to discuss. Pai has managed to heal the planet with the Mew Aqua he was given, so we'll have to start discussing moving to the surface at some point. What I wanted to discuss before that was Ichigo, however."

"What about her?" Higashi asked.

"I want you to ask Hayako to find out what her powers and talents are," Hideki-sama said. "Please inform me of his findings, and depending on what he finds, we can start looking for teachers."

"Understood," Higashi said. "Is that everything?"

"I also wanted to ask if she and Kisshu are bonded," Hideki-sama said.

"Yes, we are," Ichigo replied.

"Good, that should take care of Kisshu's fan girl problem," Hideki-sama commented. "If anyone becomes a problem, however, please come to me; we don't need problems like that while rebuilding."

"I understand," Kisshu said.

"So do I," Ichigo added.

"Alright, then you two and Higashi are free to go," Hideki-sama said. "Pai, stay for a bit please."

"Hai," Pai said as Kisshu, Ichigo and Higashi bowed and left.

When they got outside, Higashi said, "Well, that was fun. Let's go find Hayako, he can figure out what you can do now, Ichigo."

"Okay," Ichigo replied. Kisshu took her shoulder, and he and Higashi teleported to Hayako.

To Ichigo's surprise, they landed in what looked like a lobby, and Higashi noticed her surprise. "Hayako works at the hospital; this is the lobby," he said. He went up to the receptionist, who looked up, and asked, "Do you know where Hayako is?"

"He's in Room 147; I'll let him know you're here," the woman said. "It might be a few minutes; why don't you have a seat?"

Higashi nodded, and he went to one of the benches, followed by Kisshu and Ichigo. "I guess I'll have to get used to coming here," Higashi said softly. "Oh well, at least I can help out."

The receptionist apparently heard, because she asked, "Are you going to be a healer now?"

"I'm planning on it, now that Hideki-sama let me off the hook," Higashi replied. "About time, too. At least he let me prank Koni-sama before leaving."

"You've got guts, I'll give you that," the receptionist said dryly. "What'd they say about Kisshu?"

"I threatened to prank every member of the Council, they shuddered, and when I asked if they were still going to put me on the Council, Koni-sama said, "HELL no," Kisshu said, smirking. "And I think Yumemi-sama's going to be afraid of me now that I told her what I'd do in retaliation for the mutilation incident eight years ago."

"Mutilation incident?" the receptionist asked.

"Yeah, I asked why she had so many spots on her face, and she shouted, "I'm going to mutilate you, you little monster!" Then Koni-sama and Mikan-sama had to hold her back, because she made it pretty clear that she WAS going to mutilate me. Touchy."

The receptionist just sighed and then said, "Hayako's on his way."

Sure enough, Hayako teleported in, and asked, "How'd it go?"

"Very well," Higashi said with a smirk. "I pranked Koni-sama, I got freed from being on the Council, and Kisshu made them all shudder."

Hayako sighed and asked, "And why did you need me?"

"Hideki-sama wants you to find out what Ichigo can do," Higashi said.

"Alright," Hayako said. "Ichigo, stay quiet, okay?"

"Okay," Ichigo said.

Hayako put a hand on her forehead, concentrating. "You can use all our normal abilities- flying, teleporting, telepathy, and mind-searching," he said in a distant voice. "It shouldn't be too hard for you to learn the spells we have for fixing things and the one we have for changing things- which means you can put someone in different clothes, and I'm sure Kisshu can teach you the variation he created for hair. Your talents lean more towards healing than fighting, so I don't think you'd be suited for the military like Kisshu. It seems like your healing talents would include mind healing like Yuki. And you have two personal talents, which is unusual; most people only have one. You have a talent for calming people down, and making them feel better, which will go well for you if you go into mind healing. But you also have heightened perception, though not on the scale that Higashi and Kisshu have it on." He took his hand away, and said, "I figured out what's up with your unusual eye color, too."

"What is it?" Ichigo asked. "That's a lot already."

"Part of heightened perception is the ability to see through people's words; in your case, you'll also be able to see through illusion and invisibility spells, given the right training," Hayako said.

"That's COOL," Ichigo said. She looked at Kisshu, who appeared to be sulking, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Your powers aren't for fighting…." Kisshu said sulkily.

"That's a good thing; we balance each other out," Ichigo said. "You're the fighter and I'm the healer."

Kisshu looked at her and smiled. "You're right," he said. "I guess we should inform Hideki-sama of your powers, and then we can start training you."

Ichigo smiled. "Great!" she said happily.

**I think this might have to be continued in another chapter; I'm up to 27 pages and still have some ideas, but I don't want to make it too long, so I'll leave it off here, and start work on the next chapter when I'm less tired. Review?**


	2. Earth Visit- and Trouble

**Earth Visit- and Trouble**

Hayako smiled at Ichigo's enthusiasm, and said, "I'll go with you to let Hideki-sama know my findings."

"Let's go, then," Higashi said. "The sooner we figure out training, the better."

Kisshu took Ichigo's hand and teleported, followed by Higashi and Hayako. They landed in front of the Council's meeting room doors, and Higashi knocked. "Who is it?" Hideki-sama's voice called.

"Ikisatashi Higashi, my kids, and Ikisatashi Hayako," Higashi called back. "We have the results on Ichigo's powers."

"Come in," Hideki-sama called. Higashi opened the doors and went in, followed by Hayako, Ichigo, and Kisshu. They went to the center of the room and all went down on one knee. "You may rise," Hideki-sama said. "What's the news?"

"Ichigo can use all the normal Cyniclon powers, and it shouldn't be too hard for her to learn the changing and fixing spells," Hayako began. "Her talents aren't really meant for fighting; she has a strong affinity for both regular and mind healing. She also has two personal talents; one of them is calming people down, which doesn't surprise me; that often comes with the mind healing talent. The other is heightened perception, but it's not as strong as with Kisshu and Higashi. I also found out the reason she has an eye color I've never seen before."

"What is it?" Hideki-sama asked.

"Her power of heightened perception will also allow her to see through illusion and invisibility spells," Hayako replied. "That's probably why her talent for seeing through lies and verbal deceit is less; this particular incarnation of that talent is focused on seeing through spells rather than words."

"That's quite a bit," Hideki-sama commented. "Since she doesn't have fighting talents, would you and Yuki be willing to train her?"

"Of course," Hayako said. "I'm sure everyone else in our family will help out too, especially since I think Higashi is the best person to train her heightened perception talent. He has the ability to turn things invisible; she can practice that way."

"Alright, I'll leave her training to you and your family," Hideki-sama said. "By the way, Pai asked permission to go back to Earth for a few days; I figured I'd let you know in case you wanted to go too. He's leaving tomorrow."

"I think we'd all like to go," Higashi said. "I'm curious to see what Earth is like."

"Same here," Hayako said.

"Then let's all go," Ichigo said.

"This should be fun," Kisshu commented.

"Very well, you all can go, and tell Yuki and Taruto the same," Hideki-sama said with a smile. "Have fun."

"Thank you, Hideki-sama," Higashi said. He and the others bowed and left.

They teleported to Hayako's living room, and Yuki looked up; she was in there with Tsukiko and Yuka. "What's up?" she asked.

"We're going to Earth for a few days," Kisshu said happily. "Would you like to come?"

"Sure," Yuki said. "I'll let Taruto know too."

"Great," Kisshu said. "Koneko-chan, let's go home and pack!"

"Okay," Ichigo said with a smile. "Can I try teleporting?"

"I guess," Kisshu said. "Can you form a clear image of our room?"

Ichigo concentrated, and then to the others' surprise, she teleported. Kisshu immediately concentrated, then said, "Well, she's in the kitchen, which is close."

"That's good," Higashi said. "It looks like it won't be too hard to teach her."

Kisshu nodded and teleported to the kitchen. Ichigo was in there looking a bit frustrated. She looked at him and asked, "How come I ended up here when I pictured our room?"

"Probably because it was your first time," Kisshu said. "I'm impressed you got so close to your destination; most people either can't teleport at all on their first try, or they end up somewhere weird, often pretty far away from where they were trying to go. When I first teleported, I ended up here instead of the designated area where they were teaching us. I got it right the second time, though."

"Oh…." Ichigo said.

"It's not going to be like your Mew powers, which came naturally," Kisshu commented. "You'll have to do a lot of training to get really good."

"Then I will," Ichigo said determinedly.

Kisshu smiled and said, "That's my Koneko-chan."

Higashi teleported in a minute later and said, "Good job, Ichigo."

"Thanks Uncle Higashi," Ichigo said. "How long are we going to Earth for?"

"One week," Higashi said. "We're actually leaving at six this evening, because of the time difference. We'll get there around noon, according to Pai. He already called ahead, so Keiichiro knows we're coming."

"Great," Kisshu said. "Koneko-chan, let's go pack; it's already almost four."

"Okay!" Ichigo said, and headed to their room, followed by Kisshu.

They spent the next two hours packing and changing into more casual clothes, and when they were finished, Ichigo said, "Kisshu, remind me to ask if my hair dryer is still at my house. I had a lot of trouble drying my hair this morning; having a hair dryer would be helpful."

"Alright," Kisshu said. "Are you ready?"

"Yup," Ichigo said. She picked up the duffel bag she had brought for shorter trips, and Kisshu picked up his. Then they went out to the living room, where they found Higashi waiting with his own bag. "Ready?" he asked.

"We're ready," Kisshu said. "Let's go." He took Ichigo's shoulder and teleported to the living room of Yuki and Hayako's house. Higashi teleported in after them, and they found Yuki, Hayako, Pai, Taruto, Tsukiko, and Yuka waiting. Yuka and Tsukiko were both in little baby baskets for the trip.

"Everyone ready?" Pai asked.

"Yes, are we taking the same ship?" Kisshu asked.

"Yes, and I already implanted the image in everyone's mind," Pai said. "Let's get going."

Kisshu nodded, and took Ichigo's shoulder again, then teleported to the main room of the ship, followed by the others. When they were all there, Pai said, "Taruto, you're copiloting; Kisshu, you can take everyone else to your room, okay?"

"Sure," Kisshu said. He led the way to his room as Pai and Taruto teleported off. Once everyone was in, Higashi said, "Wow, this is huge, Kisshu."

"Yeah, it's nice," Kisshu said. "You can all sit down wherever."

Yuki and Hayako set Yuka and Tsukiko down next to the sofa, still in their baskets, and sat down on the sofa. Higashi sat down in Kisshu's desk chair, leaving Kisshu and Ichigo the bed. They settled down too as the ship's intercom came on and Pai's voice said, _"The ship's taking off, so please remain seated."_

Sure enough, the ship started moving, and they were on their way. Higashi sighed, and Kisshu asked, "What's wrong, Dad?"

"I wish your mom could have come," Higashi said sadly. "I bet she would have enjoyed the vacation."

"What did Aunt Anzu do for work?" Ichigo asked.

"She was a seamstress," Higashi said. "One of the best; a lot of people came to her, especially during the time Kisshu was on Earth. Since she wasn't taking care of him, she had far more free time. I think she would have been happy to have a break."

Ichigo sighed, and said, "I wish she was still alive; I was looking forward to having a mom again." She felt Kisshu lean against her, and hugged him as she continued, "I also don't like seeing you and Kisshu so sad."

Higashi looked at her, and said, "I think having you around will help."

"I hope so," Ichigo said. She felt Kisshu snuggle against her, and looked down to see that he had fallen asleep. She gently felt his forehead, then said softly, "Looks like being sad makes Kisshu tired."

"At least he's not sick," Yuki said.

"You're right," Ichigo replied. She shifted Kisshu so he was lying down, and put his head on her lap, then started stroking his hair. He sighed happily and settled down. The others remained quiet, watching the two of them.

_**Five hours later: **_Kisshu wasn't the only one sleeping; everyone else had fallen asleep too. Naturally, they were startled awake by the intercom coming on, and Pai saying, _"We're approaching Earth; it might be a bit bumpy."_

Sure enough, the ship bumped a bit before evening out, and a while after it evened out, Pai and Taruto teleported in. Pai noticed that all of them were awake, and said, "We can go to Café Mew Mew now; I called and let Keiichiro know we'd be coming. The other Mews are there, along with Ichigo's school friends, Moe and Miwa."

"Good," Higashi said. "I need the image, though."

Kisshu went over and implanted the image of Café Mew Mew into Higashi's mind, and then took Ichigo's hand again. Pai and Taruto had finished implanting the image into their parents' minds, and Yuki picked up Yuka and Tsukiko's baskets. Then they all teleported to the main room of Café Mew Mew.

As Pai had said, Keiichiro, the Mews, and Moe and Miwa were waiting, and they all got up when the Cyniclons teleported in. "Welcome back," Keiichiro said.

"Thank you," Pai said. "I have some introductions to make, so first, this is Taruto's and my mom, Yuki, and our dad, Hayako."

"It's nice to meet you," Keiichiro said.

"Thanks," Hayako replied. "This is our daughter, Yuka, who Pai apparently forgot about."

"Sorry Dad," Pai said sheepishly as Hayako took Yuka out of her basket.

"Keiichiro, this is my dad, Higashi," Kisshu said. "He's Uncle Hayako's younger brother."

"It's nice to meet you," Higashi said to Keiichiro.

"You as well," Keiichiro said. "I assume the other baby is your daughter?"

"Yes, this is Tsukiko," Higashi said, taking the little girl out of her basket.

The Mews looked a bit restless, and then Mint asked, "So where's Ichigo?"

"I'm right here," Ichigo said, stepping out from behind the others. All the other girls' jaws dropped, including Moe and Miwa's. "You're a Cyniclon?" Lettuce asked.

"Yeah, I had Pai change me into a Cyniclon, and it worked," Ichigo said happily. "I can't use any of my powers yet; I need to start training."

"You look really different," Mint commented. "So why'd you decide to become a Cyniclon?"

"Well, it'll make my life there easier, but we also discovered that my eyes as a human were the same as Kisshu's mom's eyes, and I didn't want to make everyone sad every time they looked at me, so I decided to become a Cyniclon partially because the transformation would change my eye color," Ichigo said. "I like my eyes better now, actually. And I also enjoy not having cat genes."

"So the transformation canceled out your cat DNA as well as your human DNA?" Keiichiro asked.

"Yup," Ichigo said happily.

"So are you going to join the military like Kisshu?" Moe asked.

"No, Uncle Hayako discovered that as a Cyniclon, my talents aren't really meant for fighting," Ichigo said. "I'm going to start training as a healer, since that's apparently what my talent is for. I don't think my powers include summoning a weapon, either."

"You're right," Hayako said. "And you can't create Chimera Animas, either. You've got a lot of potential as a healer, though, whether you choose to go into mind healing or regular healing."

"I'm glad, I think that will be a good balance between Kisshu and myself; he's the warrior and I'm the healer," Ichigo said, smiling.

"I agree," Miwa said. "Still, it would be cool if you had sais like Kisshu's. So why didn't you tell us you were leaving? We would have snuck out to see you."

"Everything happened so fast, I really didn't have the chance; we basically raced out of here to get back to Cyniclonia after we heard that Aunt Anzu died," Ichigo said. "And I didn't want you to get in more trouble. By the way, how's everything going?"

"We got off of suspension, but it's not the same without you," Moe said. "A few of the girls are nice to us, but we got the sense that they're scared to become friends with us."

"I'm sorry," Ichigo said. "I wish I could be there for you, but-"

"We understand," Miwa said gently. "You don't have anyone but us here, and we can't live with you. You're better off with Kisshu; especially now that you're a Cyniclon. As long as you visit occasionally, we'll be fine."

"Thanks," Ichigo said. "I'll definitely visit. We're here for a week, by the way."

"That's great!" Moe said happily. "Do you need anything?"

"I could use a hair dryer; having hair this long is cool, but it's not easy to dry," Ichigo said.

"Yours is still at your house," Miwa said. "I can go get it, if you want."

"It's fine, I can go," Ichigo said. "There's no one there now, right?"

"Um… about that…" Moe said. "Your parents decided they'd visit, and we were only let off house arrest because they wanted to know where you were."

"So I take it they're at the house?" Ichigo asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Moe said. "We haven't beaten them up yet, so they're not in the hospital."

"Come on Kisshu, we're going to go chat with my ex-parents," Ichigo said.

Kisshu nodded and asked, "Do you want to try teleporting there on your own?"

"Sure, maybe I'll get it right this time," Ichigo said. She concentrated, and then teleported. Kisshu concentrated, then said, "Well, she got it right. See you later."

The others nodded as Kisshu teleported out.

Kisshu landed in Ichigo's room as they both heard footsteps, and Sakura and Shintaro came in, then stopped dead. Ichigo glared at them, and said, "In case you don't recognize me, I'm the daughter you abandonded- on the same day Aoyama dumped me, I might add. You two are scum, you know that?"

"If you're Ichigo, what happened to you?" Shintaro asked.

"I asked Pai to turn me into a Cyniclon," Ichigo said. "And since Kisshu's dad adopted me, you two are no longer my parents. I should have known when you first started taking vacations without me that you didn't care about me. I was just the house-sitter, right?"

Her parents were both silent, and Ichigo guessed she was right. "Well, at least now I have a family and a boyfriend who love me, and I love them," she said. "Have fun finding a different house-sitter. I really only came here to get my hair dryer." She went to the bathroom, and grabbed her hair dryer, then came back to her room.

Her parents didn't look at her, but Kisshu did, and smiled. "Ready to go, Koneko-chan?" he asked.

"Yep," Ichigo said. She teleported, followed by Kisshu. They both landed in the main room of Café Mew Mew a minute later, and the others looked up. "How'd it go?" Higashi asked.

"I got my hair dryer, and told my ex-parents what I thought of them," Ichigo said. "They didn't have a response, so we came back here. I'm getting better at teleporting."

"That's great," Hayako said. "It will make things a lot easier for you."

"I like teleporting," Ichigo said happily.

Suddenly Pai's pocket started beeping, and he sighed, then took out a circular device and pressed a button on the side. A miniature hologram of Koni-sama came up, and Pai asked, "Is something wrong, Koni-sama?"

"Yes," Koni-sama said. "Hideki-sama has Toru Fever."

Aside from Ichigo, all the Cyniclons looked horrified. Koni-sama sighed and said, "I need all of you to come back now."

"Understood, we'll be there in a few hours," Pai said. The hologram disappeared, and Pai said, "Well, this is bad."

"What's Toru Fever?" Ichigo asked.

"It's the Cyniclon equivalent of tuberculosis," Pai replied. "And while humans have medicine for that, it's poisonous to us. We haven't figured out a healing cure, either, and that means that almost everyone who gets it dies."

"Why haven't you figured out a healing cure?" Ichigo asked, puzzled.

"Toru Fever is a relatively recent addition to our diseases, and before that we've never had any other lung diseases," Hayako replied. "So it's hard to treat lung issues simply because we don't know much about them."

Higashi sighed and said, "We'd better get back; we can talk on the way." He turned to Keiichiro and the others and said, "We'll try to come again, but it might be a while. Sorry we couldn't stay longer."

"It's fine," Keiichiro said. "Just call before you come, okay?"

"We will," Pai said.

Ichigo hugged Moe and Miwa, and said, "Bye, I'll try to visit soon."

"Thanks," Moe said as she and Miwa hugged back. When they broke it off, Ichigo waved to the Mews and Keiichiro, and then felt Kisshu take her hand. He teleported them to his room, and they landed on the bed. Higashi, Yuki, and Hayako teleported in with Tsukiko and Yuka a few minutes later. They felt the ship starting to move, and all of them sat down. "Is there anything we can do?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm honestly not sure," Yuki said. "Hayako is the best healer on the hospital staff, but there's no known cure for Toru Fever, and if there's no cure, it's going to be hard."

"Then I guess we'll just have to find a cure," Ichigo said. "I'll do what I can to help; maybe having been human will help."

"How so?" Yuki asked.

"We have tons of lung diseases," Ichigo said. "And I know a little about tuberculosis; my grandmother had it. She died from it, but then again, she was about eighty years old, and her immune system wasn't strong enough to help fight it off."

"What are you going to do about the fact you have no training?" Hayako asked.

"You can't walk me through at least part of it?" Ichigo asked. "Isn't the worst that's going to happen that it won't work?"

"Pretty much; I guess it's worth a shot," Hayako said. "If you're helping, you should get some rest beforehand."

Ichigo nodded, and curled up under the blankets on Kisshu's bed after taking her shoes off. The others remained quiet as Kisshu started stroking her hair, and she fell asleep.

_**Four hours later: **_Kisshu gently shook Ichigo awake, and she opened her eyes. "We're here," Kisshu told her.

"Alright," Ichigo said. "I feel more alert."

"That's good," Hayako said as Ichigo got up and put her shoes back on. "You'll need that."

Pai and Taruto teleported in, and Pai said, "We've been called to meet with Koni-sama at the hospital, but he said Mom should take Taruto, Yuka and Tsukiko home, and wait for news."

"Alright," Yuki said. She picked up the two babies in their baskets, and teleported off, followed by Taruto. The others teleported to the hospital lobby.

They found Koni-sama waiting, and he looked up as they came in. "Good, you're here," he said. "Do any of you have ideas on what to do?"

"Ichigo thinks she can cure Hideki-sama if I walk her through it," Hayako said. "Apparently humans have more lung diseases than we do."

"Ichigo isn't trained yet, though," Koni-sama commented. "Is that wise?"

"The worst that will happen if I let her do this is that nothing will happen, and Hideki-sama will still have Toru Fever," Hayako said. "We need to do something."

"Very well, I'll show you which room," Koni-sama said. "Will it just be the two of you?"

"I want Higashi, Pai, and Kisshu to guard the door so we don't have the rest of the Council coming in and demanding to know why you're letting a girl with no experience heal our leader," Hayako said. "Please don't look at me like that, you know that at least half of them would come barging in whether you tell them not to or not."

Koni-sama sighed heavily and said, "Follow me." The others followed him to a room on the first floor, and waited as he knocked. "Come in," a female voice called wearily.

Koni-sama opened the door and let Hayako and Ichigo in, then went in and said to the young woman sitting in a chair, "You can go, you look like you're about to collapse."

The young woman simply nodded and walked out. Koni-sama looked at Hayako and said, "I'll take my leave, but I would recommend soundproofing the room."

"I'll do that," Hayako said. Koni-sama left, closing the door behind him, and Hayako concentrated briefly before snapping his fingers. Then he went over to the bed, and said softly, "Ichigo, come here."

Ichigo came over, and Hayako said, "Alright, you need to do exactly as I say, got it?"

"Got it," Ichigo replied.

Hayako nodded and said, "Put your hand on his chest, and close your eyes." Ichigo obeyed, and Hayako said, "Can you sense what the problem is? Concentrate on Hideki-sama, and try to sense the problem."

Ichigo concentrated, then said, "It feels like something is eating away at his lungs."

"That sounds like Toru Fever," Hayako said. "Alright, I don't know if this will work, but I want you to imagine whatever is eating his lungs disappearing. The key in this is concentration; you have to want this to work more than anything else. If you need more power, just say so."

"Okay," Ichigo said. She focused, and saw in her mind's eye what looked like four amoebas nibbling on Hideki-sama's lungs. She concentrated on making them disappear, and one by one, they vanished. Ichigo concentrated harder, and felt that the traces of sickness were gone. There was just one last problem; there was a small hole in Hideki-sama's left lung. Without opening her eyes, Ichigo said, "The sick feeling is gone, but there's a small hole in Hideki-sama's left lung from it. What do I do about that?"

"Imagine it closing up, and make sure you're thorough," Hayako said.

Ichigo nodded, and imagined the hole she saw closing up. When it was closed, she said, "Done."

"Alright, let me just check," Hayako said. Ichigo opened her eyes, and watched as Hayako put a hand on Hideki-sama's chest. "That's amazing, there's no sickness left," he said. "He should be fine if he rests. How are you feeling?"

"I'm kind of dizzy," Ichigo said.

Hayako came over and put a hand on her forehead, then one on her chest. "You used up a lot of power; you just need to rest," he told her. "Very good job, I've never seen someone cure Toru Fever like that. There's a sink at the back of this room; can you still walk? You should wash your hands with hot water and soap, so you don't get sick."

"I think I can walk," Ichigo said. She walked over to the sink a bit unsteadily, and turned the hot water on. She waited for it to get hot, and then washed her hands, wincing a bit at the hot water. Finally she turned the water off, and dried her hands on a towel. As she put the towel down, Hayako came over, and said, "The others are waiting for news; should we go tell them the good news?"

"I don't think I can stand up for much longer," Ichigo admitted. "I'm exhausted."

"There's a chair over there; you can have a seat until Kisshu and Higashi can take you home," Hayako said. He helped Ichigo over to the chair, then went to the door and opened it. He noticed there were quite a few members of the Council in the hallway, all of whom were female, and shut the door as he came out. "What's going on out here?" he asked wearily.

"Hideki-sama's fan club weren't too thrilled with Ichigo healing him, and we've been holding them off for the past half-hour," Higashi said. "I think he's a bit young for them, but they're not listening to me."

Kisshu snickered as the women glared at Higashi. Higashi just smirked and asked, "How'd it go?"

"Ichigo completely cured Hideki-sama, but she's pretty exhausted, so I'd recommend taking her home and putting her to bed," Hayako said. "Where'd Koni-sama go?"

"He's in the lobby, muttering about 'crazy old ladies'," Pai said, coming up the hallway. "I decided to leave him in peace."

"Koni-sama called us crazy old ladies?" one of the women said dangerously.

"Seems he's not as insane as I thought he was," Higashi commented. The women glared at him evilly before heading to the lobby, presumably to chew out Koni-sama for calling them crazy old ladies.

"Sheesh, you'd think they'd be happy he's not calling them crazy old hags," Pai said quietly. Kisshu and Higashi started laughing as Hayako sighed. "Kisshu, if you can calm down, why don't you get Ichigo and take her home?" he suggested.

Kisshu attempted to stop laughing, and finally managed it, then followed Hayako into the room. Ichigo was half asleep in the chair, and Kisshu went over and picked her up. "Hi Kisshu," she said sleepily. "Can we go home?"

"Yep," Kisshu said, and teleported to their room. He set Ichigo down on the bed, and she took her shoes off, then curled up under the covers and promptly fell asleep as Kisshu tucked her in and settled down next to her. He started stroking her hair, smiling as she leaned into his hand.

_**Seven hours later: **_Kisshu was worried; Ichigo wasn't showing any signs of waking up, and it was getting late. Finally he curled up next to her, and fell asleep himself.

The next morning, Kisshu woke up to find Ichigo awake and playing with his hair. "Morning sleepyhead," she said. "Were you up late? It's nearly ten in the morning."

"Yeah, I was up late worrying and watching you; I guess I wore myself out," Kisshu said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Ichigo said. "Uncle Higashi said so too, so I just decided I'd play with your hair while you were sleeping. It's very soft."

Kisshu blushed slightly, and Ichigo giggled, then asked, "Should we get up?"

"Yeah, I'm hungry," Kisshu said.

"You're ALWAYS hungry," Ichigo said teasingly. She got out of bed, and Kisshu did the same. Higashi came in as Ichigo started making the bed, and said, "We've been called to meet with the Council in four hours, so I'd recommend you two take showers and start getting ready."

"Yay…." Kisshu said sarcastically.

"I know, but at least I'm not on the Council this time," Higashi said. He left, and Kisshu sighed.

"Do you want to shower first?" Ichigo asked.

"Sure," Kisshu said. "I put your hair dryer in the bathroom cabinet, by the way."

"Thanks," Ichigo said. Kisshu smiled, gathered up some clothes, and left. Ichigo sighed and picked out some clothes for the meeting. She picked out a white pencil skirt, skin-tone tights, and a pretty pink blouse with white star-shaped flowers embroidered around the collar. Deciding the white ribbon from yesterday would be best for her hair, she put that on top of the pile of clothes, and waited for Kisshu to come back.

He came back about ten minutes later, and said, "Your turn."

"Thanks," Ichigo replied, and left, pecking him on the cheek as she went. She took a shower, and then dried her hair a bit with the towel. Then she plugged in the blow dryer, and started drying her hair the rest of the way. When she was done, she put her clothes on, and then brushed out her hair. She braided it again, and tied it off with the white ribbon. Then she left the bathroom, and headed back to her and Kisshu's room.

Kisshu wasn't in there, so she left her dirty clothes in the room and went to the kitchen. It smelled really good, and Ichigo saw that Kisshu was making pancakes and bacon, while Higashi watched. They both looked up, and Kisshu said, "You look great, Koneko-chan."

"Thanks, but you say that no matter what I'm wearing," Ichigo said, giggling. "You're cute."

Kisshu just smirked as he brought breakfast to the table. As they started eating, Higashi said, "You've become a very accomplished chef, Kisshu."

"Thanks Dad," Kisshu said. "Keeping Pai out of the kitchen was a nightmare, though. He's awful when Aunt Yuki isn't around to watch him."

Higashi chuckled, the first time Ichigo had heard him do so since she met him. It was a nice sound, and she smiled as he commented, "Pai always learned the hard way."

"If he learned at all," Kisshu said. "The guy's got NO common sense to speak of."

Ichigo giggled. "Yeah, remember that time he tried to make pancakes?" she asked.

"How could I forget?" Kisshu asked with a sigh. "He put the batter in the oven for forty minutes, and two hours later, the oven exploded, and Taruto and I had to steal a new one from one of the stores in Tokyo. And he kept melting pots."

"How do you melt a pot?" Higashi asked.

"You shoot lightning at it to make it heat up faster," Ichigo said dryly. "Pai can be pretty dumb sometimes."

"Which is totally weird, because his talent is heightened intelligence," Kisshu commented. "I wonder if heightened intelligence has a side effect- like lack of common sense."

"Maybe Uncle Hayako should look into that," Ichigo suggested. "It does seem strange that Pai could have heightened intelligence without having ANY common sense."

"We can worry about that when we see him," Higashi said. "We should get going."

"Alright," Kisshu said. "I have to get boots on."

"So do I," Ichigo added.

"I need to find my shoes, so that's fine," Higashi said. Kisshu and Ichigo went and got their boots on, and met Higashi in the main room.

"Koneko-chan, do you want to try teleporting there by yourself?" Kisshu asked.

"I'm not sure I can form a clear enough image," Ichigo said. "I've only been there twice."

"I can help with that," Higashi said. "Close your eyes."

Ichigo obeyed, and felt Higashi put a finger on her forehead. Then a clear image of the doors to the Council room formed, and she said, "I see it."

"Good, let's go," Kisshu said. He teleported, followed by Ichigo and Higashi.

They landed in front of the Council room doors, and Kisshu was pleased to see Ichigo had nailed teleporting yet again. "You're getting really good at this, Koneko-chan," he complimented her, and smirked when she blushed.

"Thanks Kisshu," she said.

Higashi, meanwhile, was knocking on the door, and they heard a woman's voice call, "Who is it?"

"Ikisatashi Higashi, and my kids," Higashi called back.

"Come in," the woman called. Higashi opened the doors and went in, followed by Ichigo and Kisshu. The three of them went down on one knee in the center of the room, noticing Hideki-sama wasn't there.

"You may rise," Koni-sama said. As they got up, he sighed and said, "We mainly called you here to thank Ichigo for her hard work yesterday. Ichigo, I trust you've recovered?"

"Yes, thank you Koni-sama," Ichigo said. "I was just tired, nothing more."

"Good," Koni-sama said. "I'm very impressed; the last person to attempt to cure Toru Fever drained himself so much he nearly died. And this is the first time someone has successfully cured Toru Fever. I'm glad I agreed to let you heal Hideki-sama. Have you ever had any training or instruction on healing before?"

"All I knew about healing before yesterday was that it takes a lot of concentration," Ichigo replied. "So no, I've never had any training."

"That's incredible," Koni-sama said. "Have you done any training for your other powers yet?"

"Not really, but I think I've got the hang of teleporting so far," Ichigo said. "That's about it, though."

"It seems your powers are coming in fast," Koni-sama commented. "Did Pai mention anything about you being able to learn faster than a normal Cyniclon?"

"No, but he used his DNA, so maybe since he already has full control over his powers, I'm learning faster because of that?" Ichigo suggested.

"That's a possibility," Koni-sama. "How long did it take your powers to manifest when you were a Mew?"

"As soon as I first transformed, I knew what to do; it was like an instinct," Ichigo said. "I guess it's possible that Pai used a serum similar to whatever Ryou and Keiichiro used; that would definitely speed up the learning process."

Koni-sama looked thoughtful, and finally said, "Well, it's better for everyone if you learn more quickly than an average Cyniclon. That was really all I wanted you here for, so you're free to go. Hideki-sama may want to thank you in person later on."

"I'm just glad I was able to save him," Ichigo said.

Koni-sama smiled, and said, "Good. You're free to go."

Ichigo, Kisshu, and Higashi bowed and left. Once outside the Council room, Kisshu sighed and asked, "Why were we called too?"

"Maybe they thought Ichigo would be nervous going alone," Higashi said. "Oh well, it's not anything bad, so let's go home. Ichigo, we can teach you to fly today, if you want."

"That sounds fun," Ichigo said.

"Maybe we should go outside for that; flying in the house won't work as well," Kisshu commented.

"I don't know what the surface looks like now," Higashi commented.

"Neither do I; we'll have to go check it out," Kisshu said. "I haven't been outside since we got back."

"Let's go check it out then," Ichigo said. "How do we get there?"

Kisshu took her hand and teleported to what looked like a staircase, and Higashi landed behind them, then said, "This is the opening to the surface. We don't use it much, but I imagine it'll get more use now."

"Let's go," Kisshu said. He started up the stairs, and Ichigo and Higashi followed. They came to a trapdoor, and Higashi opened it. Going outside, they were awed. "This is amazing," Kisshu said.

They were standing in a large field with different kinds of flowers everywhere. There was a river splitting the valley the field was in in half, and forests spread out on the surrounding hills. Looking behind them, they saw that there were the beginnings of buildings a ways away. "It looks like they've already started building a town," Higashi commented. "That's good."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed. "This is really incredible."

"Do you want to learn to fly?" Kisshu asked after a minute.

"Sure!" Ichigo said happily. Kisshu smiled, and said, "Imagine yourself floating. It's similar to teleportation; you just imagine what you want to be doing."

Ichigo nodded and concentrated. For a few minutes, nothing happened, but then Ichigo floated up about five feet off the ground. She opened her eyes, and looked happy. "I'm floating!" she said happily.

"Great!" Kisshu said. "Do you think you can figure out how to go places?"

"Lean my body in that direction?" Ichigo suggested.

"Very good," Kisshu said. Ichigo smiled and leaned in the direction of the river, and flew over, then landed on the banks, looking into it. Kisshu landed next to her a minute later, and looked into the water. "Cool, fish!" he said. Then he smirked and said, "I bet you're glad you don't have cat genes anymore."

"Yeah, otherwise you'd have to stop me from jumping in to get to the fish," Ichigo said. "It's good to know there are fish, though. Those might be tasty."

Kisshu smiled and asked, "Do you want to try doing flips in midair?"

"Not in a skirt," Ichigo said. "Maybe another time?"

"Okay," Kisshu said. "Let's go back to Dad."

Ichigo jumped into the air and flew back to Higashi, Kisshu right behind her. "Great job, Ichigo," Higashi said as she landed next to him.

"Thanks Uncle Higashi," Ichigo said happily. "I like being a Cyniclon."

Higashi smiled, but before he could reply, he looked like he was listening. Then he said, "Hayako apparently wants us to come to his place."

"Okay," Ichigo said. "Are we teleporting to the front door or the living room?"

"The front door, I'll take you," Kisshu said. He took her hand and teleported, followed by Higashi. They landed in front of Hayako's front door, and Kisshu knocked. Yuki opened the door and said, "Come in."

Kisshu, Ichigo and Higashi followed her in, and she closed the door, then sighed. "What's wrong?" Higashi asked.

"Taruto's friend Yusuke mentioned to his mother that Kisshu had a girlfriend, and Yusuke's sister Kasumi overheard," Yuki said. "As I'm sure at least Kisshu is aware, she's the leader of his fan club."

"In other words, I'll start getting swarmed again, and they'll be trying to take Ichigo down," Kisshu sighed. "I hate those idiots."

"Well, we'll just have to be careful," Ichigo said.

"Why not go tell Kasumi you're bonded?" Yuki suggested. "Take Ichigo with you, and tell her you've bonded; there's not much she or anyone else can do once you've bonded, and she's the leader, so she'll most likely tell the others."

"I guess at this point, it can't hurt," Kisshu sighed. "Dad, Ichigo and I will be back soon so I can make dinner."

"Alright, be careful," Higashi said.

Kisshu nodded, and teleported Ichigo to another door. He walked up to it and knocked. It was opened a few minutes later by a woman a little older than Higashi, who said, "Oh, hello Kisshu. Is this Ichigo?"

"Yes," Kisshu said. "I need to talk to Kasumi about her little 'hobby'; is she here?"

"Yes," the woman said. "I tried to tell her you wouldn't like it if she kept up the stalking, but I'm not sure she really heard me. Come in, I'll get her." She looked at Ichigo as she let them in, and said, "By the way, Ichigo, I'm Mikan, a friend of Yuki's. It's good to hear Kisshu finally found someone who won't be an over-obsessed fan girl around him."

"Thanks, it's nice to meet you too," Ichigo said.

Mikan smiled as she said, "Wait here; I'd say wait in the living room, but I don't want the room destroyed if Kasumi goes overboard again."

"Thanks," Kisshu said. He and Ichigo waited as Mikan left, and a minute later, they heard her call, "Kasumi, you have visitors."

Kisshu and Ichigo heard a door open, and a few minutes later, a girl with curly brown hair and blue eyes came out- then got a very lovesick look on her face. "Hi Kisshu," she said happily. "What's up?"

"I came to tell you that I bonded with Ichigo here, and that if you and your fan club try to separate us, or hurt Ichigo, you're going to rue the day you laid eyes on me," Kisshu said evenly. "I'd suggest warning the others, because if they and you keep it up, I'll be more than happy to report the lot of you to the Council for harassment."

"You're bonded?" Kasumi asked sadly.

"Yes, so stay away if you know what's good for you," Kisshu said. "I've told you several times to stay away from me, and I hope that this time you'll listen."

Kasumi's eyes filled with tears, and she ran out, passing her mother on the way. Mikan lifted an eyebrow at Kisshu, and he sighed and said, "Sorry, but I've had enough of living in fear of fan girls. If this doesn't help, I will be taking this issue to the Council; I don't need the harassment, and they don't focus on anything else."

"I understand," Mikan said. "You're right, it's not okay for Kasumi and the others to harass you. Good luck, Kisshu."

"Thanks," Kisshu said.

"Ichigo, it was nice to meet you; take care," Mikan said, looking at Ichigo.

"Thanks, you too," Ichigo replied. She and Kisshu left, and teleported home.

**I think that's it on Chapter 2. The next chapter will probably be more of an epilogue, since I'm running low on ideas again. If you've got an idea for more, though, let me know! Review please!**


	3. Fan Girl Troubles

**Fan Girl Troubles**

Kisshu and Ichigo landed in the living room, and Higashi looked up. "How'd it go?" he asked.

"I told her to back off if she knows what's good for her, and she ran off in tears," Kisshu said. "I hope she listened this time."

"Let's hope," Higashi said.

_**However, in another part of the underground city: **_Kasumi had gathered the rest of Kisshu's fan club, and they were having a meeting. "You're sure he's really bonded?" one of the girls asked. Kasumi had started the meeting by telling all the girls that Kisshu was bonded to a girl named Ichigo.

"I'm not positive, but they were holding hands," Kasumi said. "I guess it's possible that he was just trying to get rid of me, though."

"How come none of us have ever heard of this girl, or know her?" another girl asked.

"I heard Kisshu met her on Earth," another girl said.

"But what would a Cyniclon be doing on Earth, especially a girl that age?" the first girl asked.

"That leads us to another question," Kasumi said. "Is Ichigo really a Cyniclon? I heard a rumor that Kisshu fell for an Earth girl, but I didn't think it was true."

"What did she look like?" one of the girls asked.

"She had all our traits, but the strange thing was that her eyes were a pale green," Kasumi said. "Maybe she wasn't originally a Cyniclon. And if that's the case, she must have done something to Kisshu."

"But humans don't have powers like we do," one of the girls in the front of the room said. "My dad was on one of the Earth scouting missions; he said they don't have any powers. So how could a human brainwash Kisshu?"

"With some sort of machine," Kasumi said.

"But Kisshu's uncle is the best healer on the planet; wouldn't he have noticed Kisshu was brainwashed?" the girl asked.

"You're right…." Kasumi said thoughtfully. "She must have done something, though."

"But if they are bonded, we're too late," the girl pointed out. "There's no way to break the bond without harming Kisshu."

"We should try to figure out if they really are bonded," Kasumi said. "If not, then we might be able to get rid of Ichigo."

"And if they are?" another girl asked.

"Then we make Ichigo's life a misery," Kasumi said. "My brother told my mom that she's supposed to be trained as a healer; those of you in that field can start work as soon as possible."

About half the girls nodded determinedly, and Kasumi smirked. "Then let's get started!" she said.

"HAI!" the other girls said as one, and left. Kasumi smirked and went home, intent on planning her next move with Kisshu.

Unfortunately, this plan was derailed when she ran into her mother, who said, "You're grounded until you decide to stop harassing Kisshu."

"But-" Kasumi said.

"No buts, and I know about your little meeting today," Mikan said. "All the other girls are getting their own punishments, since I put the word out that the lot of them will get hauled in by the Council if this keeps up. You should be grateful to Yusuke; he came and told me that your little club was talking about hurting Ichigo. I will not have you tormenting that poor girl, so go back to your room and think about what I've said. You are not to leave this house without supervision until I decide that it's safe for Ichigo and Kisshu."

Kasumi stormed off and shut herself in her room, fuming.

_**Back with Kisshu, Ichigo, and Higashi: **_They were finishing dinner when they heard a knock on the door, and Higashi went to get it as Ichigo and Kisshu started cleaning up. They listened as Higashi said, "Oh, hi Yusuke, what's up?"

"Taruto and me got Oneechan and her friends in BIG trouble," Yusuke said happily. Ichigo and Kisshu came over to listen as Yusuke continued, "Oneechan and her friends were talking about making Ichigo's life a misery, but me and Taruto were spying on them, and went to tell Mom and the other girls' moms. They're all going to be grounded until they get over their stalking problem!"

"That's great, thanks Yusuke," Kisshu said. "I'll thank Taruto too."

"I can tell him," Yusuke offered. "I was on my way over anyways."

"Thanks," Kisshu said.

"Sure," Yusuke replied. "Oneechan's steaming…."

"Serves her right," Kisshu said.

"I know, if she hadn't started the fan club and stalking, she wouldn't be stuck in the house," Yusuke said. "Glad I could help."

"Thanks Yusuke," Ichigo said.

"Sure!" Yusuke said happily. "Mom was right, you are pretty…."

"Th-thanks," Ichigo said, a bit embarrassed.

"You're gorgeous," Kisshu said, hugging her. She snuggled into his arms as Yusuke said, "Bye, I'm going to go see Taruto!"

"Bye Yusuke," Higashi said. Kisshu and Ichigo waved, still hugging each other. Yusuke smiled happily and teleported off. Higashi closed the door, and looked at Kisshu and Ichigo, then asked, "What happened to cleaning?"

Both of them squeaked and went back to the kitchen, then started cleaning up. Higashi went to read.

About an hour later, after Kisshu and Ichigo cleaned the kitchen, Ichigo had joined Higashi in reading, and Kisshu was trying to read over her shoulder, curious about the human books she had brought. Finally Ichigo sighed and said, "Kisshu, can't you get your own book? There are plenty more in our room."

"Oh, fine," Kisshu said sulkily, and got up. Before he could go to their room, though, they heard a knock on the door, and Kisshu went to get it. Higashi and Ichigo looked up a minute later as he came back with a blonde woman about Higashi's age. Higashi sighed and said, "Hi Kia. What does the Council want now?"

"Nothing, they're busy with the problem of Kisshu's fan girls," Kia said. "Hideki-sama sent me to get Ichigo. He said it was to thank her, but I have a feeling he's just bored of listening to Koni-sama and wants someone else to talk to."

"Koni-sama is boring, that's not hard to imagine," Higashi said. "I suppose Kisshu and I are staying here?"

"Yes," Kia said. Noticing Kisshu looked a bit worried, she said, "Don't worry about it, Kisshu. I'll bring Ichigo back when Hideki-sama's done, okay?"

"Alright," Kisshu said. He kissed Ichigo, and then Kia took her hand and teleported. They landed in front of the Council room doors, and Kia knocked.

To Ichigo's surprise, the one of the doors opened, and Hideki-sama came out. "Good timing, Koni's ranting again," he said. He closed the door as he said, "Kia, remind me why I haven't just disbanded that lot?"

"Because they'll think you want to be a dictator, and start getting paranoid," Kia said dryly. "And because Yumemi-sama's planning on mutilating Kisshu the minute she gets a chance. Despite the lectures I've given him, I actually agree; she's too touchy about her appearance."

"Why doesn't she just use make-up, or something to conceal the liver spots if she's that touchy?" Ichigo asked.

"Because she's paranoid about being poisoned by one of her rivals," Hideki-sama sighed. "Frankly, she's nuts. And Koni is boring AND nuts. And the rest of them are insane. Higashi was the ONLY person on the Council who I could listen to, but I don't regret freeing him; I'd probably get pranked too if I let him stay."

"I kind of doubt that," Ichigo said. "I think you're the only politician Uncle Higashi has respect for. I doubt he'd prank you- but I imagine Koni-sama's life would be hell. Uncle Higashi really doesn't like him in particular."

"With good reason," Hideki-sama commented. "The invisible whoopee cushion prank was great, though. Maybe I should start pranking the Council…."

"I bet Kisshu would help you out," Ichigo said.

"If things get worse, I might just ask him about that," Hideki-sama said. "The real reason I asked Kia to bring you was so I could thank you, Ichigo. I'm very grateful to you for saving my life."

"It was no trouble," Ichigo said. "If I'm going to be a healer, then I'll be saving lots of people."

Hideki-sama smiled, and said, "Still, thank you."

"You're welcome," Ichigo said. "I'm still confused as to why no one else was able to do what I did, though. It was fairly easy to understand what to do to cure Toru Fever, so why can't others do that?"

"I think it might have to do with the amount of power the healer in question has," Hideki-sama replied. "Since you have Ikisatashi DNA, your power is probably greater than that of an average healer; the Ikisatashi family has been known for generations as the best healers among our people. Kisshu and Taruto are the first two children in a few generations to be born without the affinity for healing. But then again, Kisshu is the best warrior our people have ever seen, and Taruto can control plants, which is an ability that occurs in about one or two children per generation. The Ikisatashi family is known for being amazing."

"I didn't know that," Ichigo said. "That's pretty incredible. Kisshu was sulking a bit when Uncle Hayako informed us that my talent was for healing, not fighting."

"He might not know about the healer's heritage, since he was trained from the beginning to be a warrior," Hideki-sama said. "Hayako mentioned you have a talent for both mind healing and regular healing; do you have any idea which field you'd prefer?"

"I'm not really sure," Ichigo said. "I might be more effective in regular healing; I don't really know much about mind healing. I think I'm too emotional to be effective as someone who helps others with mental issues; I'd most likely break down."

"Considering the fact you apparently can heal Toru Fever, you might be right," Hideki-sama said. "I'll leave that decision to you and your family, though."

"Thank you," Ichigo said. "Was there something else you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes, actually; I'd like to know more about Earth," Hideki-sama said. "If you'd prefer, we could talk at your place, though; I have a feeling sooner or later someone's going to come out here and drag me back to listen to them bickering."

"That sounds like a good idea," Ichigo said. "That way Kisshu won't come looking for me if we take too long talking."

"We wouldn't want that," Hideki-sama said. "Alright, let's go." He took her shoulder and teleported to the front door of her home, then knocked. The door was opened by Kisshu a minute later, and he bowed, then asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No, Koni was just boring me to death, so I suggested to Ichigo that we come back here and talk," Hideki-sama said. "I'd like to know more about Earth."

"Come in," Kisshu said. Hideki-sama went in, followed by Ichigo. Kisshu closed the door, and then led the way to the living room. Higashi got up and bowed as they came in, then asked, "I take it Koni-sama's ranting again?"

"Yes," Hideki-sama sighed. "I really wish they'd get their act together."

"That'll be the day," Higashi said dryly. "Why don't we all have a seat?"

"Thanks," Hideki-sama said, and sat down in a chair. Ichigo settled down with Kisshu on the loveseat, and Higashi sat down in another chair.

When they were all settled, Hideki-sama asked, "So what's Earth like?"

"Frankly, it's a mess," Ichigo said. "Most places are at least somewhat polluted, and the big cities like Tokyo are very polluted. And it doesn't help that a lot of people litter. Frankly, the only redeeming quality Earth has is the fact that we have a ton of food. But if humans don't clean up the planet, that could change. Still, there are still some places that are untouched by humans, and those are generally very beautiful. I think that it would have been hard for people here to live on Earth, given the amount of pollution- and overpopulation of humans."

"What are the humans like?" Hideki-sama asked.

"No two people are exactly alike, but there are far more nasty people on Earth than there are here," Ichigo said. "Humans are a violent species; some people think making war is in human nature. I can't say I blame any of you for wanting to wipe out the human race; humans tend to fear what they don't understand, and I'm not sure our two races could get along very well. The only similarity between our races that I can see is the way fan girls behave."

"It seems it was a good thing you were able to negotiate a truce to save this planet," Hideki-sama commented.

"I agree," Kisshu said. "And there are really too many humans on Earth to kill anyways- especially considering more are born every day. Overpopulation is really bad there."

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about it anymore," Higashi said.

The others nodded, and then Hideki-sama said, "Kisshu, I had a question for you."

"What is it?" Kisshu asked.

"I'm thinking of pranking the members of the Council; would you be willing to help?" Hideki-sama asked.

Kisshu perked up, and said, "I'd love to help, but is there a reason?"

"To be perfectly honest, I'm tired of listening to them bicker about the way I lead our people; they barely listen to me, and spend all their time bickering or outright fighting," Hideki-sama said. "I'm sick of it, and if I don't find an outlet for my frustration, the Council's going to get blown up. I never liked them much anyways."

"Sounds like fun to me," Kisshu said. "Should we rig up hidden cameras too?"

"Not a bad idea," Hideki-sama said thoughtfully.

"Um… before you plan anything further, you should know there's something blinking on your sleeve, Hideki-sama," Ichigo said.

Hideki-sama looked, and said, "I don't see anything…."

Ichigo reached out and took the chip she saw off of Hideki-sama's sleeve, then held it up. The others looked puzzled, and then realization hit.

"It's invisible, that's why we can't see it," Kisshu said. "Nice, Koneko-chan."

"Thanks," Ichigo said. "What do I do with it?"

Higashi made a hand gesture, and said, "Now that it's visible, we can take it to the Council and ask what this is about."

"I have a feeling this is Koni's doing," Hideki-sama said. "Are the rest of you coming?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Higashi said. He concentrated, and Yuki teleported in, asking, "What's up?"

"Can you watch Tsukiko till we get back?" Higashi said.

"Sure," Yuki said. "I expect an explanation later, though."

"I know," Higashi said. Hideki-sama stood up, and followed by Higashi, Kisshu, and Ichigo, teleported to the Council room. Kia was still outside, and she looked up. "What happened?" she asked.

"Koni is about to rue the day he forced me into being leader," Hideki-sama said grimly, and flung the Council doors open.

The Council members looked up, startled, and quite a few of them, including Koni, looked nervous when they saw the look on Hideki-sama's face. "Koni, would you care to explain why Ichigo found a tracking chip attached to my sleeve?" he asked coldly.

"Um…." Koni-sama said uncomfortably. "Yumemi-sama and I decided with you spending so much time with Kisshu, we'd keep an eye on you so he wouldn't corrupt you…."

"That is quite possibly the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard you say," Hideki-sama said. "Kisshu is not corrupting me; I was always like this. And I've had more than enough of you trying to control me. Though I would dearly love to disband the lot of you, I know that will cause more trouble than you are currently worth. I also realize that the main problem is that everyone goes along with whatever you and Yumemi say. I have decided that instead of disbanding the Council, I am going to reconfigure the set-up. You and Yumemi currently have far too much influence, and considering Yumemi's state of mental health, that is not a good thing."

"Are you saying I'm insane?" Yumemi-sama asked irritably.

"You think Mikan wants to poison you with make-up, so you won't cover up your liver spots, and then go around threatening to mutilate small children who ask about them," Hideki-sama said calmly. "You also think Kisshu is corrupting me. I'd say that qualifies you as at the very least mentally unstable, if not insane."

"Why would I want to poison Yumemi-sama with make-up?" a woman on the Council asked. "I don't even wear make-up!"

"Case in point," Hideki-sama said. "I know that you don't even own make-up, Mikan, which is why I'm saying Yumemi is raving. Not to mention paranoid. My predecessors may have been able to put up with your combined bickering, but I can't. Therefore, I am going to figure out a better way of setting up the Council, and I will bring you my results when I'm ready. In the meantime, I'll have someone keep an eye on Yumemi and Koni, to ensure they don't get any bad ideas."

"Excuse me for interrupting, but why not just put tracking chips on them?" Ichigo suggested. "Then you wouldn't have to ask someone to watch them."

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Hideki-sama said. "The three of you are welcome to go home now, but please inform Pai that I need to see him about tracking chips."

"We will," Higashi said. He teleported out, followed by Ichigo and Kisshu.

They landed in the living room, and Yuki came out of Higashi's room. "What happened?" she asked.

"Ichigo found an invisible tracking chip on Hideki-sama, and we went to confront the Council," Higashi said. "Can you let Pai know that Hideki-sama wants to see him?"

"Sure," Yuki said. "Tsukiko's sleeping now, so I'll get going."

"Thanks," Higashi said. Yuki smiled and teleported out.

"I'm kind of tired," Ichigo said. "Kisshu, can we go to bed?"

"Yeah, it's already after ten at night," Kisshu said. "Night Dad."

"Night Uncle Higashi," Ichigo added.

"Good night, sleep well," Higashi said, hugging them both. They hugged back, and then headed off to get ready for bed.

_**The next morning: **_Kisshu woke up first, and noticed Ichigo was stirring too. She opened her eyes when he sat up, and said, "Morning Kisshu."

"Morning," Kisshu said. "Do you want to shower first? I doubt Dad is up."

"Sure, thanks," Ichigo said. She got up and gathered up the clothes she had laid out the night before, and went to shower. Kisshu started making the bed, and sat down on it when he was done to wait for Ichigo.

Ichigo came back a few minutes later, and said, "Your turn."

"Thanks Koneko-chan," Kisshu said. He kissed her cheek and left as she giggled slightly.

Ichigo decided she'd make breakfast for a change, and was just heading to the kitchen when she heard a knock on the front door. She went to get it, and found Kasumi standing outside. "What do YOU want?" Ichigo asked warily.

"You can see me?" Kasumi asked.

"Of course I can see you, you're standing right in front of me," Ichigo said, puzzled. "What are you doing here, anyways? I thought you got grounded for stalking Kisshu, along with the rest of your little club."

"I could ask you the same question; why are you in Kisshu's house?" Kasumi snarled.

"I live here," Ichigo said. "I'm surprised you didn't know that Kisshu and I live together. We are bonded, after all. By the way, why were you surprised that I could see you?"

"I used an invisibility spell to get here," Kasumi grumbled.

"Oh," Ichigo said. "I can see through invisibility and illusion spells; it's a variation on the heightened perception talent that Kisshu and Uncle Higashi have."

Kasumi growled, and Ichigo continued, "I'd give it up if I were you; Kisshu will never love you, and with good reason; you only want him because he's good-looking and a highly skilled warrior, like the other girls. I'd really rather not have Kisshu go to jail for murdering you if you keep harassing us, so I'd recommend giving up. You lost your chance now that Kisshu and I are bonded anyways."

"I'm going to make your life so miserable that you'll want to break the bond," Kasumi snarled.

"Wouldn't that kill Kisshu?" Ichigo asked.

"I knew you weren't really a Cyniclon," Kasumi said triumphantly. "If both people agree, then a bond can be broken."

"You seriously think Kisshu would agree to that?" Ichigo asked. "You really are an idiot."

Before Kasumi could respond, Kisshu came in, and asked, "Koneko-chan, who are you talking to?"

"Kasumi, she thought she could get in if she used an invisibility spell, but I saw through it," Ichigo said disgustedly. "And apparently she's planning on making me so miserable that I'll want to break the bond we have. I didn't know that was possible."

"Sometimes people bond by accident, and they can break the bond if it's mutually agreed that it's the best thing for both of them," Kisshu said. "I would never agree to something like that, and if Kasumi says anything nasty to you, I'm going to kill her. I'm sick of living in fear of stalkers, and frankly I could care less if the entire fan club I never wanted went to Hell. They'd deserve it. Although I just had an idea."

"What's that?" Ichigo asked.

"If Kasumi ever gets un-grounded, I'll make her life so miserable that she'll wish she had never met me," Kisshu said. "She's certainly made my life hell; it would be nice to return the favor."

The air behind Ichigo shimmered, and Kasumi dropped the invisibility spell. "How have I made your life hell?" she asked.

"You stalked me, gathered a group of other girls who stalked me, repeatedly tried to kiss me, and you never listen when I tell you to leave me alone," Kisshu said coldly. "And thanks to you and your fan club, all the boys hate me because I had all of you after me and ignoring them. You're the reason I didn't have any friends growing up besides Pai and Taruto, and I'm never going to forgive you for that, much less fall in love with you. Get lost, Kasumi."

Kasumi's eyes filled with tears, and she teleported off. Ichigo closed the door and said, "Maybe that'll take care of her."

"Let's hope," Kisshu said. "Would you like to make breakfast?"

"I was going to before Kasumi came; what would you like?" Ichigo asked.

"Chocolate chip muffins!" Kisshu said happily.

Ichigo giggled and went to start the muffins, followed by Kisshu.

_**Half an hour later: **_The smell of muffins had gotten Higashi up too, and he and Kisshu were watching Ichigo hopefully. "The muffins are done," Ichigo said. "NOW will you quit staring at me? It's kind of creepy."

"Sorry Koneko-chan," Kisshu said sheepishly as Ichigo brought a plate of muffins over to the table. He picked up a muffin and bit into it, then said, "These are heaven…."

"Glad you like them," Ichigo said. "You're drooling."

Higashi started laughing as Kisshu turned red and wiped his mouth.

**Sorry it took so long to get this out, and I know it's a bit shorter than the others, but I hope you'll still enjoy it and review. I'll try to have more out soon, 'kay? **


End file.
